The purpose of this week’s series of statewide events was to honor
and show support for Connecticut’s Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.
The Connecticut Elks, in conjunction
with local, state and federal government agencies, various sports,
entertainment, and tourist attractions, defense contractors,
military installations, and churches put on a week of fun and
challenging events for a group of Wounded Warriors from around the
state. Organizations including some of Connecticut’s 33 Elks Lodges
worked together with one common purpose…to honor and support our
troops.
The
program started Monday June 20th with early lunch at the
New London Lodge, where Mayor Martin T. Olsen Jr. issued a support
proclamation for all Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. At the U.S.
Coast Guard Academy, the Vets were welcomed by Superintendant, RDML
Sandra L. Stosz and Congressman Joe Courtney CT-02. Steven Ferraro,
State President CT Elks, spoke of our long history of commitment to
our servicemen. Linda Perry of the Wounded Warrior Project spoke
of her organization’s support for the most recent veterans from Iraq
and Afghanistan. After a hoop shoot and a number of drills run by
the Connecticut Sun basketball team of the WNBA, the Wounded
Warriors had dinner with a group of cadets at their mess.
On Tuesday the group was hosted by Sikorsky Aircraft in
Stratford where they met the
founder’s son, Sergei Sikorsky. This was followed by presentations
and a personalized plant tour where the vets were
applauded by Sikorsky workers on the production line. The group
then proceeded to the Milford Green escorted by the Stratford
Police, Milford Motorcycle Police and twenty cars from the Club
Corvette of Connecticut. The Mayors of Milford, Derby and Stratford
joined together at the green to pay tribute to our citizen
soldiers. The Milford Fire Department took the vets and family
members on a short cruise of the harbor and treated them to the view
from their 100-foot water cannon ladder. Following a ceremony at
the Bridgeport WWII Memorial with
Mayor Bill Finch, the group attended a Blue Fish Baseball Game,
enjoying VIP boxes at Bridgeport Stadium.
On
Wednesday the Warriors were hosted by the U.S.
Submarine Base in Groton. Following
a tour of the Submarine Force Museum
and the Nautilus, the vets met and ate lunch with submarine school
students. A hoop shoot with the students and warriors at the sub
base gymnasium identified some unknown talent on both sides. They
had a blast. Then they toured the USS New Hampshire at her dockside
berth as she was being refitted for another deployment. CAPT Bruce
A. Derenski’s (GRCT) moving keynote speech during the Wreath Laying
Ceremony at the Groton Municipal Center left no dry eyed faces. COL
Linda Schwartz USAF Ret. Director, CT Department of Veterans Affairs
provided additional perspective from combat nurse days in Viet Nam.
A grant from this department made bus transportation possible for
the week’s events. The Groton Elks hosted dinner for the vets along
with the Submarine Veterans Association.
On Thursday the First Congregational Church of
Branford hosted a fishing derby for
the wounded
warriors as well as vets attending the blind clinic reunion from the
West Haven
VA Hospital. Then all boarded a trolley car on a century old
railway to The Shoreline Trolley Museum for a ceremony with Mayor
April Capone of East Haven and
Stanley Welch of Representative Rosa DeLauro’s CT-03 office. Hands
on training for the Vets to become Motorman and drive the trolleys
on the rail system were delayed to sunnier days as heavy rain and
lightening caused delays. After the Trolley Museum visit, the
Branford Elks Lodge hosted an outside dinner in their pavilion for
the vets and the overnight attendees from the blind clinic reunion.
First Selectman Unk DaRos of Branford read a proclamation making the
day dedicated to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
On
Friday the venue moved to the Manes & Motion Riding Center in
Middletown for a session on care and
riding of horses for therapeutic purposes. Following a lunch at the
Middletown Elks Lodge, the group moved on to the
Essex Steam Train Facility for an
insider’s tour. In the evening the group attended a Rock Cats
Baseball game in New Britain where
the group was recognized by the team, threw out the first pitch, and
sat in the VIP boxes and seats.
The capstone event was the BBQ at the
Westbrook Elks Lodge on Saturday. The group was welcomed by
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congressman Joe Courtney, and First
Selectman Noel Bishop. The crowd
was thrilled by the landing of a National Guard, UH-60L
BLACK HAWK Helicopter in the Lodge’s
grassy field. Kathryn Cross (Gold Star Mothers), Ken McCarthy
(Westbrook Honor Guard), Patriot Guard Riders and Westbrook
elementary school essay winner, Jordan Pill, provided heartfelt
comments to the 160 guests at the barbecue. Veterans from Rocky
Hill, Newington and West Haven facilities joined the wounded warrior
guests and veterans from the surrounding town VFW and American
Legion Posts. The master of ceremony, Gil Simmons of WTNH 8 kept the
program moving along with good humor all around.
CT Elks Veterans Honor Week has been nothing short of extraordinary!
We thank all the hosts for organizing these outstanding events in
support of our troops.
