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Local Korean War veteran revisiting USS New Jersey he served on 70 years ago

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Local Korean War veteran revisiting USS New Jersey he served on 70 years ago


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Korean war veteran living in Blue Springs is now in Camden, New Jersey, to revisit the ship he served on more than 70 years ago.

Richard Dent remembers well his first steps aboard the massive ship.

“I was very, very in awe of the size,” he said. “Of course, the Battleship New Jersey was the most decorated ever in the United States fleet, and the biggest and the most deadly.”

Richard held on to those memories of his service through the years,

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“Memories of what it was and what we did,” he said.

His son, Denton Dent, says his father has always been proud of his service.

“Oh absolutely, absolutely I think he is,” he said.

As the years passed, there’s always been a part of Richard that’s wanted to go back.

But there was never a good opportunity.

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“I think he’s just reached a point where he’s kind of had other opportunities, but just didn’t take advantage of them. And his wife just said, ‘Hey, if you’re going to do it, let’s do it.”

The couple finally did it, hitting the road early Monday to make it in time for a tour of the ship on Wednesday.

“Looking forward to getting up there and getting back aboard,” Richard said.

It’s more than just a trip down memory lane, it’s a chance to pay respects to the men he served with in Korea who did not come home.

“I’m very thankful that I could go. I’m very thankful that I returned. I only feel bad because a lot of my shipmates were not able to come back,” Richard said.

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They’ll be on his mind as he tours Wednesday and each day after he returns.

“That’s very imprinted on my heart,” he said.





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New Jersey

Andy Kim says his win has changed Jersey politics 'forever.' Let's hope. • New Jersey Monitor

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Andy Kim says his win has changed Jersey politics 'forever.' Let's hope. • New Jersey Monitor


New Jersey Democrats had a terrible Election Day, but a bright spot for them occurred with Rep. Andy Kim’s victory in the U.S. Senate race.

Kim’s convincing win not only gave Democrats something to celebrate as they mourned the thumping Donald Trump gave the party nationwide, but it signaled what could be a new chapter for New Jersey politics — if our bosses don’t stand in the way.

“Let there be no doubt this is a new era of politics rising. The same old, same old is done, and we’ve shown New Jersey that there’s a better way,” Kim told cheering supporters in Cherry Hill Tuesday night.

Kim captured the seat that was once held for 18 years by Bob Menendez, a Hudson County Democrat who began his political career as a reformer but ended it after a bribery trial that exposed him as a cartoonishly corrupt pol, one with literal bars of gold he took from men who needed favors from him. From Menendez to Kim — what a glow-up for New Jersey.

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That Menendez remained in the Senate for so long is an example of the same old, same old approach to politics Kim declared dead in his victory speech.

If our public officials cared more about what we think of them, Menendez would have been shamed into stepping down when his first corruption trial revealed the shady relationship he had with a major campaign donor and friend (the jury deadlocked). Instead, Menendez sought reelection to a second term anyway and launched that campaign in 2018 at a rally where powerful New Jersey Democrats like Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker — who should have been pushing him into retirement — feted him as someone we could not live without.

Menendez eked out a primary victory, won a second term on the strength of New Jersey Democrats’ loathing of Donald Trump, and then spent that term participating in a new bribery scheme, this time with global actors. This led to indictment No. 2 in September 2023.

Kim has said the new charges inspired his bid to oust Menendez. And on Tuesday, he promised not to embarrass New Jersey the way Menendez did.

“I assure you I will give this everything I have and I will try and serve with honor and integrity. I promise you I will not lose myself along the way. I will anchor myself in the deep sense of public service that has guided me all these years,” he said.

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The idea that Kim would ascend to the Senate seemed improbable from the start. He had arrived on the political scene way later than some other Democrats who probably thought they’d be next in line for the Senate seat. He wasn’t exactly beloved by New Jersey’s political establishment. And he soon found a primary rival — first lady Tammy Murphy — who had the support of so many Democratic Party officials that her victory seemed a fait accompli in a state where the party machine reigns.

Any other Democrat probably would have folded under the pressure of going against the wife of the sitting governor and every party boss in the state. But not only did Kim press on and emerge victorious — Murphy dropped out of the primary before a single vote was cast — he simultaneously led a court fight that put a stake through the heart of New Jersey’s notorious county line, a move that has the potential to limit the power of party bosses and make it easier for the next Andy Kim to replace the next Bob Menendez.

When Kim told his supporters Tuesday that they showed New Jersey there’s a better way, he was right. His candidacy proved to any person out there who wants to take on the political establishment that they can do it, too, and they can win without bending the knee to party bosses.

Kim told me Tuesday he thinks that because of his candidacy, “Jersey politics has changed forever.”

“We are entering a new era of politics in New Jersey. We don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like yet, but I’m going to play a very serious role and try to shape it,” he said.

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4 wildfires burn in New Jersey with dry, windy conditions fanning flames

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4 wildfires burn in New Jersey with dry, windy conditions fanning flames


NEW JERSEY (WABC) — Four brush fires continued to burn in New Jersey on Friday morning.

Weather conditions are prime for these types of fires to occur. It’s dry, windy, and there’s low humidity in New Jersey.

A wildfire along the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs has been burning since Thursday night.

The fire is burning inside Palisades Interstate Park, in the cliffs near the Rockefeller Lookout.

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The right of the parkway is closed northbound for fire department activity near exit 1 in Englewood Cliffs.

Three other wildfires are currently burning further south in New Jersey.

The Bethany Run wildfire in Burlington and Camden Counties has burned more than 300 acres.

Flames could be seen shooting up into the air on Thursday night, with thick plumes of smoke billowing above.

The fire is only 50% contained.

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Around 8 p.m. Thursday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service sent a post on social media saying it has made significant progress.

While 104 structures are threatened, none were being evacuated Friday morning.

The Pheasant Run Wildfire is also burning in the Glassboro Wildlife Management Area in Gloucester County.

And in Jackson Township in Ocean County, the Shotgun Wildfire has burned 350 acres and is now 60% contained.

Eyewitness News Meteorologist Brittany Bell explains where the smoke from the wildfires could impact the Tri-State area:

Meteorologist Brittany Bell explains where the smoke from the NJ wildfires could impact our area and air quality.

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ALSO READ: Death mix-up leaves Staten Island family in anguish on Halloween

Nina Pineda has more on the death mix-up scare for one family on Staten Island.

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New Jersey battles wildfires in record-breaking dry conditions

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New Jersey battles wildfires in record-breaking dry conditions


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The N.J. Forest Fire Service continues to work around the clock to battle various wildfires despite record-breaking dry conditions and challenging winds.



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