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 Members
of Putnam Elks Lodge 574 once again demonstrated their
dedication to soldiers past and present at their Veterans
Appreciation Dinner on Sunday, Nov. 15.
Veterans and their families filled the lodge to
share a meal with local and state Elks Lodge representatives,
Rep. Shawn T. Johnston, Deputy Mayor Peter Place and special
guest Heidi A. Voight, Miss Conn. 2006.
Attorney General Richard A. Blumenthal was
scheduled to be present, but was unavailable, as he needed to be
in Hartford for the preoperational deployment of more than 700
Connecticut National Guard troops.
Veteran Chairman Andy Barylski, read a letter
from Blumenthal apologizing for his absence and said, “Where he
is right now I should be.” Barylski’s son, SFC Dennis E.
Barylski, Sr. is almost ready to retire from the military, but
will be deploying with the 250th Engineer Company (Multi-Role
Bridge Company ).
Following a meal any soldier would have written
home about, honored guests spoke. Exalted Ruler Al LaFleur said,
“America owes a great debt to her veterans that can never be
repaid.”
Long-time Elk, Navy veteran and Putnam’s Deputy
Mayor Peter Place spoke about a recent family vacation where he
witnessed the funeral procession of a soldier returning home
from Iraq. “I would go back today and fight for our country’s
freedom,” he said, choking up as he spoke of the soldier’s
mother who mouthed the words, ‘thank you’ to him as he saluted
from the side of the road.
Rep. Johnston compared Veteran’s Day to
Valentine’s Day. There is no greater love, he said, than the
love a soldier has for their country. “That’s really a love
story.”
Accomplished in many ways, Voight said that
nothing she has done so far compares to being able to work for
and with veterans. More important to her then her crown is a
heavy medal, placed around her neck by a Marine admiral, for
finishing a 26.2 mile marathon in Washington, D.C. that she ran
to raise money for The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
Currently, Voight is working to raise money for
Homes for Our Troops – a non-profit organization that builds
accessible homes for injured/handicapped soldiers who find
themselves unable to live independently in their current homes.
The Putnam Elks donated several hundred dollars at the close of
the Veterans Dinner.
“We must all live a life worthy of the sacrifices
made by others on our behalf ,” said the beauty queen with a
soldier’s heart.
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