CHERRY HILL— With Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Sineath, going above and beyond the call of duty takes on a new meaning.

The Army paratrooper returned from Afghanistan last month after his third tour of duty.

And come the spring, he’ll be deploying on his fourth stint. To where, the special-ops soldier wouldn’t say.

On Saturday, Sineath’s extraordinary dedication to country was celebrated as hundreds gathered outside the Cherry Hill home of his fiancee, Jessica Giacoboni.

Heralded by the roar of the Warriors Watch and ’Nam Knights motorcycle clubs, Sineath and Giacoboni arrived at the Massachusetts Avenue house in a convertible stretch limousine.

Under a bright, blue autumn sky, neighbors, friends and family lined the street waving American flags and cheering. A huge version of the stars and stripes was hung from the rescue bucket of a firetruck.

“I don’t know even how to describe this,” said Sineath, 28, as he surveyed the crowd. “I’m overwhelmed. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected something like this.

“I almost cried.”

Sineath was presented with more than a half-dozen proclamations, medals and commemorative coins from the various military and civic groups in attendance.

Freeholder-Director Louis Cappelli called Sineath a “true American hero” after presenting the soldier with a Camden County Military Medal.

“The service he provides to us is invaluable,” Cappelli said. “And this is certainly a fitting, heartwarming and touching tribute.

“We wish him the best of luck and hope that God will continue to bless him on his next tour,” Cappelli added. “Our nation can’t survive without people like him. That’s the bottom line.”

Sineath and Giacoboni will be getting married Saturday. They’ll be holding their reception at the township’s American Legion Post 372.

“I’m so excited to get married,” Giacoboni said. “And this welcome home for him, I love it. This was a big surprise for both of us. I kind of knew a little about it, but nothing like this.”

Legion Adjutant Russell Smith presented the couple with their official membership card to the post.

“All of us welcome you today and congratulate you both as you start your lives together,” Smith said to the couple. And as you head out on your next assignment, we wish you Godspeed. We salute you.”

Sineath, a native of Columbia, S.C., joined the Army in 2002.

He is a Purple Heart recipient, and has been honored with more than a dozen medals and badges. Among them: the Army Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and a Combat Infantry Badge.

The soft-spoken and humble military man shrugged off the size of his numerous calls to service.

“I’ll go as many times as I need to,” he said. “I’ll do whatever my nation needs me to do.”

Township Council President Dave Fleisher officially proclaimed Saturday Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Sineath Day in the township of Cherry Hill.

“It’s the Thanksgiving season,” he said, “but every single day we offer our gratitude to people like Ken who make sacrifices by serving in the military.”

Dave Silver of the Yellow Ribbon Club thanked Sineath and all the veterans in the crowd for serving America.

“We have heroes like you keeping us safe and protecting our freedom,” Silver told Sineath. “We have the freedom we have today because of you.”

Silver gave Sineath a business card and told him to keep in touch after he’s deployed.

“We really hope to hear from you, so we can send care packages over to you and your unit,” Silver said. “We’ll bombard you with beef jerky and Tastykakes.”

After the presentations, accolades and continued shouts of “Welcome Home,” Sineath spoke to the crowd and thanked his fellow vets for their service.

“This means more to me than I could express to any one person in a lifetime. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Then, looking toward his wife-to-be: “My future wife has stood by me through a lot. She knows exactly what it’s like to be a military wife and now she’s going to legally be a military wife. Thanks for everything, Jess.”

Back to the crowd: “Thank you, Cherry Hill. I appreciate all you have done, and you will have a very special place in my heart. Hopefully, I can return the favor one day.”

“You already have, four times over,” a man yelled.

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