Yankee Skipper Aaron Boone Delights Crowd at Holmdel’s Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial & Museum

By:  | February 23, 2025 |  |  Holmdel

By Ryan Loughlin

If the only place you have visited off Exit 116 on the Parkway is the PNC Bank Arts Center, you have been missing out on one of the best and most interesting historical-themed sites in all of Holmdel and perhaps the country — the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial & Museum.

The site itself is set atop a 5.5-acre patch of rolling green that somehow manages to be peaceful despite overlooking a major highway. The Memorial portion of the site is dedicated to Veterans from New Jersey that fought in Vietnam and contains three bronze statues sculpted by Trenton-based artist Thomas Jay Warren, while the Museum itself beautifully utilizes its indoor space to tell the story of the conflict through photos, displays, written descriptions, and artifacts from the time.

Fundraising for the museum is an important part of how they maintain the space, and on Friday, Jan. 31, they hosted an event that both raised funds and thrilled attendees as current New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone appeared in person at the museum for a meet and greet and live Q&A.

Boone, who comes from a family of professional baseball players including his grandfather Ray Boone, his father Bob Boone and his brother, 4-time Gold Glove winner Bret Boone has been both a player and a coach. He played in the MLB from 1997-2009 and has served as the manager of the New York Yankees since 2018 but is arguably most famous for his walk off home run in the 2003 American League Championship Series, which he hit as a player for the team he is now the manager of.

“It’s a great honor to have Aaron Boone at our Memorial and Museum, the only one of its kind in the entire nation. We’re grateful for his support, and the proceeds from tonight’s event will go a long way in ensuring the legacy of New Jersey’s Vietnam veterans will be remembered for future generations,” said Amy Osborn, Executive Director of the New Jersey Vietnam Memorial and Museum.

The evening started appropriately with ballpark-themed snacks including soft pretzels and guests also had an opportunity to peruse the various displays at the museum. The ticketed event was open to the public but also featured some notable VIPs from local and state government, including Former Senator Nick Asselta, Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon, Gubernatorial Candidate and Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, and Assemblywoman Margie Donlon.

Before long a line formed, with Boone at the end waiting to take photos with anyone who wanted to star in their very own piece of baseball memorabilia. After the photo portion wrapped up, the crowd packed into the center of the main room to enjoy “Why it Matters,” a short film about the Memorial and Museum by Oscar-winner Vanessa Roth as well as a live performance of the National Anthem by Miss South Jersey, Molly Pugliese.

Boone took his place at the front of the room and the Q&A portion of the event began. A microphone was passed to those with questions for the Yankee skipper, with topics varying from nostalgic walks down memory lane (one fan quizzed Boone about what was going through his head as he ran the bases after his famous walk-off home run); to more in-depth discussions of coaching plans and strategies for the current roster, including topics such as who might be the next lead off batter, Boone’s feelings on losing slugger Juan Soto to the Mets, and just when Yankee fans can expect to see a World Series Championship (spoiler alert — he doesn’t know). Fans young and old tossed questions at Boone, with everyone from a father and son coach and player duo (who were clearly building a lifelong memory) to a handful of actual veterans.

One amusing highlight was when a young fan asked Boone (who has a reputation for being a bit of a hothead as a coach and player) how many times he had been ejected from games. After hemming and hawing while trying to come up with an exact answer for the boy, Boone admitted to not really knowing, but guessed it was around 30 or 40. Without missing a beat, the boy responded confidently with, “It’s 38.”

As the evening came to a close, the previously silent auction ultimately transformed into a not-so-silent one, with various attendees bidding for a chance at four Yankees home game tickets along with a chance to view a Yankees batting practice from the field itself. When it was a silent auction, bids had originally peaked at $3000, but once the floor opened up to bidding, ultimately a total of $16,500 was bid for two prize packages, with one going for $10,000 and the other going for $6500. All funds raised in the auction will go to the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial & Museum.

“Aaron Boone brought a lot of excitement to the New Jersey Vietnam Memorial and Museum, and our veterans were thrilled to lead him on a tour of the Memorial that has become a second home for so many of them,” said Former Senator Nick Asselta, Vice Chair of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation Board of Trustees and a Co-Chair of the event. “We cannot thank him enough for the time he spent with our veterans and the sold-out crowd.”

For more information on the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial & Museum, visit NJVVMF.org