During the 105th Annual Memorial Day Parade on May 25th, the Township of Nutley honored its newest Patriot and Veteran of the Year. Mayor John V. Kelly III and the Department of Public Affairs and Health recognized Henry P. DelTosto as Veteran of the Year and Annette Arocho-Bautista as the township's first-ever Patriot of the Year.

“I was very surprised and humbled by the nomination,” Arocho-Bautista said, “and to be considered patriotic. We do these things out of love for our country, our veterans, military families, and our neighbors; we do it simply because we want to. It's just very humbling.”

The Patriot of the Year award recognizes a civilian resident of the Township of Nutley who has demonstrated exceptional dedication to supporting veterans, service members, or veteran-based initiatives. This distinction was introduced for the first time this year to honor those whose selfless efforts often take place behind the scenes, but have a meaningful impact on our veteran community.

“Every year we recognize a veteran who goes above and beyond for the veteran community,” Mayor Kelly said. “But there are also many residents who never had the privilege to serve, but nonetheless dedicate themselves to serving the veteran community and we wanted to honor those individuals as well. Both Henry and Annette have long been serving and advocating for and on behalf of veterans. Both are great examples and well deserving of their awards.”

The Township, in partnership with the Nutley Veterans Council, also proudly continued its Veteran of the Year Program, a tradition established in 2013 to recognize individuals who demonstrate unwavering support for military service members, veterans and their families.

"I was deeply humbled," stated DelTosto, this year’s Veteran of the Year. "I prefer working behind the scenes, helping out or directing. I’m not one for the spotlight, so it was humbling for the Township to recognize me in this way."

John McGuire, President of the Nutley Veterans Council, added, “These programs are more than awards. They’re a testament to the dedication and selfless service of individuals who go above and beyond for those who have served our country. We are proud to honor these remarkable individuals and share their stories with the community.”