Middletown, NJ — The coronavirus quarantine did not stop Middletown from turning out this past weekend to welcome home a U.S. war veteran.
On Saturday, Middletown residents lined the streets and sidewalks — albeit standing six feet apart! — to welcome home U.S. Army Major Matthew Zilinski, who just returned from an 11-month deployment overseas. Zilinski was deployed with the U.S. National Guard to Kosovo.
This was a surprise homecoming parade for the married father of three; Zilinski had no idea it was going to happen, say parade organizers.
The parade route started at the Middletown Township building, went west on Kings Highway and then across Rt. 35 at Harmony Road. It ended at Kenneth Terrace East.
Matthew is the younger brother of Lt. Dennis Zilinski, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2005.
Both the Zilinski brothers grew up in Middletown and are well known to the area: Dennis Zilinski was only 23 years old when he died while serving his country.
Dennis graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in 2000 and went on to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy (West Point). In September of 2005, he was deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division. Only two months in, Dennis was killed by a roadside bomb; he was one of the four American soldiers killed that day.
Matthew Zilinski also graduated from CBA. He is a Howell police officer.
The Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski, II Memorial Fund hosted Saturday’s parade, along with Middletown Township.
Mother and father Marion and Dennis Zilinski have given talks to local Middletown school children about their sons’ service. One of the main accomplishments of the Zilinksi fund is sponsoring service dogs for wounded soldiers suffering from PTSD. To date, the fund has sponsored more than 100 dogs at a sponsorship of $15,000 per dog. They also provide scholarships for students at Christian Brothers and Trinity Hall, the girls’ school.