By Evan Triantafilidis
Sentinel Reporter
Veterans Day marked a day of remembrance and honor in Greenwich, as crowds gathered in Riverside, Cos Cob and on Greenwich Avenue to salute those who have served the nation.
The annual tradition of marching down Greenwich Avenue continued on Friday, when many locals came together in front of the Havemeyer Building on a brisk but refreshing morning.
Made possible by the Greenwich Military Covenant of Care and the Greenwich Veterans Council, the gathering brought out locals from Legion Post 29, Byram Veterans, Cos Cob VFW 10112, Greenwich Department of Social Services, 9th District Veterans and Vietnam Veterans of America.
“Armistice Day marked the end of World War I on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month of 1918,” said First Selectman Peter Tesei. “After enduring the Korean War, it was in 1954 that Armistice Day became known as Veterans Day, a day to honor all war veterans. During the many wars and conflicts, these men and women have fought with bravery and honor.”
Before a flurry of waving American flags on the closed-off Avenue, Tesei proclaimed, “We are indebted to you for your dauntless efforts…”
State Rep. Livvy Floren introduced two high school students who were chosen for their extraordinary skills and leadership demonstrated in the Boys and Girls State Program run by American Legion. The two were dubbed as “citizen leaders” and were given a citation in their honor at the ceremony.
“Each Veterans Day it is our tradition to recognize young leaders who understand what democracy means and what sacrifices were made to ensure our enduring freedoms,” said Floren. “It is fitting that on this special occasion, American Legion Post 29 honors two Greenwich High School students who have made positive contributions to their school, their community and their place of worship.”
GHS Students Aaron Jaffe and Elizabeth Murray were honored for their representation in the weeklong events centered on student-government. Jaffe is one of two students to represent Connecticut in Washington, D.C., at Boys Nation. Murray was elected governor at her Girls State program.
“We didn’t always agree,” Jaffe said of his 97 colleagues at Boys State. “We often fought, and we fought hard. We threw the full force of our hearts and our minds against each other. Despite all the facts, figures and the rhetoric thrown around in the dorms of Marymount University and the halls of the Lincoln Memorial, we remained brothers.”
Jaffe said the weeklong Boys Nation program he took part in last summer represented the purest form of respectful democracy.
“Girls State was certainly an experience I will never forget,” said Murray. “Over 100 of the state’s most intelligent and ambitious girls gathered for one week to celebrate our mutual love of politics and to talk about the issues that are important to us. Girls State is, at its core, a mock state government. The most important part of the governor position was the opportunity to sign the bills written, amended and debated by the delegates, into law.”
The yearly traditions brought out many longtime Greenwich residents and veterans who took the time to share stories, reconnect with friends and pay their respects to their fallen comrade.
Riverside School held a similar ceremony on the morning of Veterans Day with a gathering on the front lawn in remembrance and honor of fallen men and women who have served.
Cos Cob Post 10112 and a group of locals met at Strickland Park for their annual ceremony at the memorial site where a patriotic wreath was laid down and longtime war stories were exchanged.
Bruce Winningham, a U.S. Navy veteran and co-founder of Greenwich Military Covenant of Care, spoke before the crowd, highlighting the fact that Walter Reed Hospital is the lone hospital in the world that has an expertise in battlefield injuries.
“There is nothing to compare with what shrapnel and bullets do to a human body,” said Winningham. “The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is one of five non-profits let through the door at Walter Reed. We are asking for veterans of our town to volunteer to be part of groups that will travel to Walter Reed to be waved into this sacred cathedral of heroism and bravery, and spend a day extending a hand of congratulations and appreciation to the young men and women struggling to recover.”
To learn more about Operation Gift Cards, visit CTveterans.org or look up Operation Gift Cards on Facebook.
