Howard Drake, of Cliffwood, pulled out his license to prove he was born in 1919. Out of his aged wallet, he also removed his membership cards to the American Legion Post in Keyport and the Cliffwood Guadalcanal VFW Post.

"You probably don't want to see these," he said. "Did you know I was in World War II?"

Drake, 92, still remembers serving in the Battle of the Bulge, which left him with scars across his left arm and left side of his torso.

"There was an explosion," he said, tracing a scar that runs deep along his forearm. However, the stories he was truly proud to share were the ones involving his family - his wife Pauline of 63 years, his children, his grandchildren and especially his great grandchildren.

Drake was one of about 30 veterans honored at the Cliffwood Guadalcanal VFW Post 4745 on Dec. 16 with a holiday celebration full of dinner and music. And although Drake has much family in the area, a volunteer noted that many of the veterans will be alone on Christmas.

The celebration's honorees are patients from local VA Hospitals and have the diligent planning of Post 4745 members like Pete Olsen to thank for their evening of homecooked food, music and friendship.

Olsen spends months planning the annual event, which only lasts about two hours. But Olsen believes watching everyone come together to support the veterans makes the process worth it.

"This is like my Christmas. It makes me happy," Olsen said, gesturing to the crowd of veterans eating dinner. "That's taking care of the veterans. And in this world with budget cuts we have to."

Veterans at the holiday celebration also received clothing and toiletry donations, and those bound to wheelchairs received hand-knit blankets to keep their legs warm.

However, the biggest gift for many was the chance to get out and enjoy the company of fellow veterans.

"I come here every year. It's so nice to see young people, the different generations together," Drake said. "There's not so many WWII veterans left today."

For Olsen and many of the volunteers, the night was about saying thank you to those who risked their lives for their country.

"The words that echo in my mind: We must never forget the sacrifices you made. We're only here tonight because of you," Aberdeen Township Mayor Fred Tagliarini said.