Holmdel Teen Lays Wreaths On Fallen Soldiers' Graves

HOLMDEL, NJ — A 16-year-old high school junior from Holmdel is doing something very special to commemorate the holiday season: Laying Christmas wreaths at the graves of every fallen soldier in West Point cemetery.

The student, Jordan Codispoti, will be taking a bus to West Point this Saturday morning for the wreath laying. One of those graves will be that of Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski, II. Zilinski grew up in Middletown: He was a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy and was a distinguished West Point graduate who was killed while serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq in 2005.

Codispoti is a junior at Trinity Hall, a private girls' Catholic high school in Tinton Falls.

“I’ve been instilled with patriotism since I was young, and it’s just become a part of me," said the young Holmdel woman. "It’s my duty as an American to pass it on from generation to generation."

“Our sincere gratitude goes to Jordan for her commitment to honor our son Dennis' memory and all those who are at rest at West Point Cemetery,” said Marion Zilinski, Dennis' mother. “It is important for all Americans to remember and honor the fallen. We must never forget the true price of freedom.”

The fund Marion started in memory of her son — The Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II Memorial Fund — also contributed $10,000 to Wreaths Across America for additional wreaths. Through this generous donation, none of the 7,050 graves at West Point Cemetery will go uncovered this December.

As each wreath is placed on a grave, volunteers will say the name of each veteran aloud. The $10,000 donation will also go towards next year’s wreath placements at West Point Cemetery.

Zilinski was only 23 years old when he was killed in action. He was a member of the varsity swim team at CBA and was nominated to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, which he graduated from in 2004.

He deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division on September 17, 2005. On November 19, 2005, only two months into his deployment, Zilinski was killed by a roadside bomb that went off near Bayji, 155 miles north of Baghdad.