On Monday, November 10, many Newtown veterans and families gathered at Newtown High School for a Newtown World War II, Korean War-era, and Vietnam War-era Veterans Recognition Ceremony. The event was hosted by Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz and several other elected officials.

The event began with Bysiewicz welcoming the distinguished guests and their families. There were 14 Korean War veterans present, and over 60 Vietnam veterans. She thanked everyone for attending, and then welcomed Monsignor Robert Weiss, a member of Sons of the American Legion and pastor emeritus of St Rose of Lima Church, to the podium for an invocation.

Among his blessings, Weiss offered his thanks to the veterans for their service.

“On behalf of the clergy, thank you to all veterans for what you have done to enable us to have the things that we have as American people," he said. "We too often take them for granted, but when we look at what’s going on … around the world we realize how blessed we are.”

Following Weiss’ prayer, Eagle Scout Troop 270 presented the colors. Jennifer Sisco, a member of American Legion Auxiliary, then sang “The Star Spangled Banner.” Mitch Bolinsky, state representative and Sons of the American Legion Squadron 202 Commander, led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Following the pledge, invited guests shared their gratitude with the service members.

Bysiewicz told the crowd that she has done over 140 ceremonies of this nature, recognizing over 15,000 World War II veterans. She referred them as “our greatest generation across Connecticut.”

This ceremony focused on Korean and Vietnam veterans, she said, because they “did not receive the welcome home, the parades, and the celebrations when they returned … the Korean … war was never officially declared or never officially ended … And as we know, sadly, our Vietnam era veterans returned to our country, often to protesters. They were spat upon. They were called unspeakable names, and some of them were even told not to wear their uniforms.”

Bysiewicz looked at this ceremony as an opportunity to say “welcome home” to those who were not welcomed with open arms, she said. During her remarks, Bysiewicz took a moment to recognize two Newtown residents who were lost during the Vietnam War: Eric George Blanton and John F. Young.

Connecticut Veterans Affairs Commissioner Ron Welch spoke next.

Welch began by asking United States Marine Corps veterans to raise their hands. He wished the USMC a happy birthday, as Monday, November 10 officially marked 250 years of the military branch.

Welch said, “To those of you that served in Korea and Vietnam, or supported these wars, welcome home … These are the words that you should have heard when you first stepped back on American soil or you finished your time in service, and sadly, we know that didn’t happen.”

Welch shared that he was 13 when the prisoners of war returned from Vietnam, and the reason he and his son both enlisted was because of the very people sitting in the room. Bysiewicz and Welch each touched on the struggle veterans have when returning to “normal life,” and how rough it can be not just for the veterans, but for their families as well.

“I can say isolation and suffering in silence are not the answers," Welch said. "It’s never too late to ask for help … I want to say happy Veterans Day to all of you, and thank you so much for your service and sacrifice. And remember, welcome home. You’re not alone.”

A Living Chain

First Selectman Jeff Capeci then addressed the crowd. Capeci said the veterans are owed “our deepest gratitude,” and that freedom is “earned and preserved” through the veterans’ service.

Congresswoman Jahana Hayes took a turn at the microphone, too. She explained that with a background as a history teacher, and then moving into her role in Congress, she found that saying “thank you” to veterans “never feels like enough.”

Hayes said, “It wasn’t until I came into this role as the congresswoman where I started to really hear the stories and the experiences of what [military service] meant, of the close to 150,000 veterans in this state and what their service meant.

Hayes said her time talking to veterans helped her to understand the PACT act when it came time to vote.

“Today, as we say thank your for your service, I also thank you for your stories,” she said. “I thank you for your courage, I thank you for sharing. I thank you for the family members who also share those stories. Those are the stories that shape our future, that ground our past … I’m humbled. I’m humbled because I know that the only reason I can stand here, as your United States Congresswoman, is because of your service and your sacrifice.”

State Senator Tony Hwang described his childhood as living in a country that was “under the threat of military attack.”

“When I saw the American soldier, they reflected democracy, rights, freedoms that is the ultimate diplomacy that our military soldiers represented to the rest of the world,” Hwang said. He also articulated a “need” to acknowledge veterans “every single day.”

State Representative Martin Foncello spoke next. Foncello himself is an Army veteran, his first year being the last year of the Vietnam War era.

Foncello noted his pride to stand among the men and women being recognized in the room, and joked that his start date may have made him a “baby” among some of the others. Foncello then asked the veterans to stand, if they were able, and to reach out to the closest veteran next to them and hold hands. The veterans formed “a living chain.”

“Our chain is impenetrable. An attack on one end is an attack on all. We will not let our chain break. To this day, dark forces test our resolve, but they will fail,” Foncello declared. Many audience members clapped as he said those words.

Foncello reminded the veterans that they still serve as “mentors, as role models, as inspiration.” He ended his remarks by saying that they are all links in a “250-year-old chain,” still “ready to defend her.”

Fellow State Representative Mitch Bolinsky was the last politician to speak. He focused on the differences between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. He explained Veterans Day is a day of “honor” and “appreciation,” whereas Memorial Day is a time to “honor those who have fallen.”

Veterans Speak

Bysiewicz then walked around the audience and asked veterans to speak, if they wanted to, about their time and experiences in the military. Quite a few brave souls spoke and shared memories and stories of their time, the first of which was Joan Weldon.

Weldon served as a Navy medic, and she said she had seen “a lot of things that, as a young girl, were shocking.” She also said her time was a “wonderful experience.”

Bill Darren urged audience members to think how veterans “take lives of fellow human beings.”

“How do we do that and not be affected by the rest of our lives? The answer is: we don’t. What I’m urging you guys, everyone here, is the next time this comes up, don’t just think about the bravery of people like us … Think about what we went through,” Darren encourged.

Robert Harris was drafted to the Vietnam War. He said “no matter what war” someone was in, “the object is to do your best.”

In total, 11 veterans spoke. Some shed tears over fallen troops, some shared the same enlistment story from President Kennedy’s speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Gene Rosen, through tears, said he had found his Lieutenant Colonel William Helsmen, who “watched over [Rosen] like a father,” “in [his] heart.” Before passing the microphone along, he thanked everyone for attending the ceremony.

Don Leonard spoke as well. He said he was reminded of the sacrifices that others had made fighting the war in Vietnam.

“I was always affected by that. And I’m affected, as well, by all those of you here who served in Vietnam and Korea,” Leonard said.

Many attendees stood after the veterans shared their stories and clapped for a while. After the applause died down, Bysiewicz recognized every veteran in the room.

Sisco was then joined by Nina Poretta in singing “America the Beautiful,” and then Samuel Villagran, a Newtown High School student, played “Taps.”

Weiss gave a benediction, and then Troop 270 retired the colors.

Recognizing Veterans At Maplewood

Earlier in the day, Bysiewicz, Weiss, Welch, Capeci, Bolinsky, Hwang, and Foncello all ventured to Maplewood Senior Living, where a few veterans currently live.

The group recognized veterans there, some of whom served in World War II. The ceremony was similar, with Bysiewicz giving veterans an opportunity to speak and share their experiences. Each veteran was recognized, and “Taps” was played by Paul Fadus.

There were a total of 13 veterans recognized for their service during WWII, Korean era, and Vietnam era of war.

Additional Veterans Day coverage will be featured in next week's print edition.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.