The newest Ocean County enlistee to advance through the first grueling step of a career in the U.S. Air Force is a 2014 graduate of Manchester Township High School.
Graduates of Toms River High Schools South and East, and Brick Township High School, move past basic training and prepare for bigger tasks ahead in American defense.
If you catch Nichole Marques of Toms River flashing a proud smile, there's a good reason. Her son, Airman Matthew E. Marques, just cleared the first major hurdle of his U.S. Air Force career.