Pomfret running 'Let it Glow' contest
POMFRET — Pomfret’s First annual “Let it Glow Contest” will be start Dec. 6 and run through Dec. 21.
The Recreation Department is asking the community to decorate their homes and businesses for a chance to win cash prizes! 
Recreation Director Carrier Wolfe said “I remember growing up and my parents driving us around to look at people’s holiday decorations. I recall how excited I got as a child looking at all the bright lights and festive decorations. I want to bring that old-fashioned excitement back to the town of Pomfret!”
Contestants should register their home or business by Dec. 4 at www.pomfretct.gov/recreation.
There will be a link for an online voting poll that will be posted on the town website at www.pomfretct.gov/recreation and on the department’s Facebook page. There will also be a paper map available at the Town Hall and a paper ballot people can fill out and mail to the Recreation office if you do not have internet access. “The Recreation Department is so grateful to have the support from the Board of Selectman to roll out this fun contest. We want to see the community light up Pomfret with their Holiday cheer,” she added.
The cash prizes: Residential: 1st place, $100; 2nd place, $75; 3rd place, $50. Business: Best overall, $100. Elves will deliver the prizes on Dec. 22.

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Retiring the military flags 

You know winter is not too far off when Alan Joslin and his comrades from the local American Legion Post #13 team up with the Town of Putnam to take down the flags on the Memorial Bridge on Rt. 44.
The flags were posted back in early May and they were retired on Nov 13. Willie Bousquet and Gene Palazzo from the Town of Putnam had a bucket truck to assist and Jim Crabtree was in the bucket. The tasks involved removing 16 flags and steel flag poles (about 10-feet long) from their cast iron holsters, rolling up the flags, and placing them in a truck for transport to a local storage facility. It usually takes about 30-45 minutes to do the job.
Post #13 members who volunteered included Alan Joslin, Dave Gilbert, Garry Brown, Larry Christy, and Victor Kratz. Joslin said: “We usually replace each flag once every two years. The contant exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun causes the colors to fade. The flags are purchased by the American Legion, and we usually spend about $650 dollars a year on new flags.”
The Memorial Bridge is a great source of pride for Putnam’s veterans. It was built in 1938 and restored in 2015. In addition to the flags, each side of the bridge has three bronze plaques honoring Putnam’s WWI veterans. The arched bridge is very ornate. Each concrete siding is acentuated with a couple of concrete pediments topped off with an obelisk bearing a streetlamp. At the center are three raised concrete tablets bearing the bronze plaques. The center tablet is topped off with a cast concrete eyebrow. The bridge was damaged during the Flood of 1955, and one of the bronze plaques went missing, but it was recently found and returned to to the town of Putnam. According to Putnam Mayor Barney Seney, “We would like to see if the plaque can restored and reinstalled. I am not sure if that is possible – but we are looking into it.”

Linda Lemmon photos

The town's Jim Crabtree helps the American Legion post members retire the flags from the bridge. 

 
From left: Alan Joslin, Dave Gilbert, Garry Brown, Larry Christy, and Willie Bousquet

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Successful fund-raiser 
PUTNAM — More than $9,000 was raised by the community at the annual Mayotte-Viens American Legion Post 13 Veterans Day Guest Bartending and Veteran Recognition event.
Between the bartender commpetition, donations and drawings, Chas MacKenzie, post finance officer, said $9,000-plus was raised.
Post 13 Commander Michael Rocchetti, the master of ceremonies, said the highlight of the evening was the when Post 13 honored two of their Vietnam war veterans – Garry Brown and Robert Warrender. The post also presented a Quilt of Valor to Larry Christy, and the Legioneer of the Year award to Michael Vassar. Connor Vassar (above) received a scholarship award.
The guest bartenders worked the bar collecting tips for the American Legion. Rocchetti said the donations “are really important for us because it helps pay for our scholarships, American Legion Baseball, Boys State, the State Police Youth Academy, the youth oratorical contest, our Veterans-in-need Fund, and our ongoing Americanism initiatives.”
The guest bartending teams included the Putnam Town Hall (Barney Seney, Travis Sirrine, and Elaine Sistare), the Gates Auto Group (Denny Gates, Chelsea Cormier, Tom Borner and Craig Gates), the Putnam Rotaract (Megan Berkery, Matthew Gardiner, John Spratt), Day Kimball Health Care (Brian Fulton, Jeff Ploughman, Crystal Lanning, Bob Kovaleski, and Roger Franklin.),  the Putnam Lions Club (Leia Faucher, Steve Faucher, Chrissy Daviau, Michelle Gallagher, Doria Daviau), and the PBA (Kate Cerrone, Laura Jones and Kelsey Campbell). 
Rocchetti also recognized the generosity of the many donors that made the event successful: “Dozens of gift baskets were donated by members and friends as raffle items. Mackenzie said, “ I am overwhelmed by the generosity of all of the people who made this possible, especially:  Dr. Steven Raheb , Craig Gates, Tom Borner, Putnam Elks, Roger Franklin, Gary Osbrey from WINY, Gates auto group, Columbia Auto, Capitol Auto Group, the Putnam Area Foundation, and many more.”
The event opened with the singing of the national anthem by Army National Guard Sergeant Emily Lajoie.
Garry Brown, Spec 5 (E-5) joined the US Army in 1969 after graduating from Nichols College with a BA in Business Administration. He volunteered for service in Vietnam from August 1970 till May 1971. He had a Corps-level assignment with the Adjutant General Company, HQ US Army Vietnam (AG CO HQ USARV). He was based at Long Binh, a major US Army base just outside of Saigon. In this capacity he served as a human resource manager for Army officer assignments in Vietnam. His awards and decorations include the Good Conduct Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal with one service star, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with the Palm Unit Citation. He was also awarded the Sharpshooter Badge (M-16), and the Expert Marksmanship Badge (M-16). 
Garry was born in Harrisburg PA, 8 Sep 1946 to Thomas and Matilda Brown. He and his two sisters Shirley & Susan grew up in Putnam CT. He graduated from High School in 1964. He returned to Connecticut after being released from Army active duty on 24 May 1971. He was honorably discharged 1 June 1975. He then worked for Hamilton Standard UTC as an Operations & Subcontract Manager, retiring in 2002. He has been very active in the community as a municipal agent for the elderly in Pomfret CT. He was the founder/director of the Pomfret food pantry, an advisor to US Congressman Joe Courtney and to CT Veterans Affairs Commissioner Thomas Saadi. He is the State of CT Veterans Rep for the towns of Pomfret Ashford and Plainfield, he was a founding member of the Danielson Veterans Coffee House. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Putnam Baptist Homes (Little River Acres), the Board of Directors for the Pomfret Community Housing Corp. He also serves on the Selective Service System District Board, Windham. He was a Pomfret Little League Coach from 1980-1991. He is the Post Service Officer for the American Legion Post #13 in Putnam CT. He was married to Deborah (Baker) Brown for 53 years. She passed away April 2023. He has two sons Jeffrey and David.
Robert Warrender Sgt (E-5) US Army, served in Vietnam for just over 1 year and seven months - from Sept 1968 to April 1970.  He enlisted in the US Army Sep 20th 1967. After basic training at Fort Dix NJ, he went to Fort Rucker Alabama for advanced infantry training and occupational training as an aviation crash/rescue firefighter, MOS 51-M-20. In Sep 1968 he deployed overseas, assigned to the 245th Surveillance Aircraft Company, 1st Aviation Brigade, based at the Marble Mountain Air Facility (MMAF), Da Nang East Airfield, South Vietnam. The base was about 5 miles southeast of the city of Da Nang. The 245th SAC flew the OV-1 Mohawk, a two seat, twin-engine turboprop aircraft, equipped with side-looking airborne radar, which shot film that was developed in flight. This plane provided valuable real-time targeting data for US ground and air forces during the war - especially along the Ho Chi Minh trail. Because of its high value, the Marble Mountain Air Facility was a frequent target of Viet Cong rocket and mortar attacks. His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Expert Marksmanship Badge (M-16).
Robert Warrender, from Killingly CT was born Jan 28th, 1948, the son of Raymond and Elvie Loreen Warrender. His father was a US Army Air Force WWII veteran. Robert Warrender has two brothers and two sisters. Robert was released from active duty in late 1970, and later received an Honorable Discharge in 1973. After the war, he returned to Killingly. He was a factory worker at a plastics company and a glass company. He also worked many years as a truck driver. He currently works part-time as a courier for the Killingly Public Schools. He is married to Marie, he has one son and two daughters. He is a member of the American Legion Post #13 in Putnam CT.
Larry Christy was awarded a superbly crafted Quilt of Valor that was made by Maureen Desilets. Larry Christy was in the Air Force from 1968 to 1972, assigned to the 334th Tactical Fighter Squadron as a weapons mechanic at Seymore Johnson Air Force Base North Carolina. He was a member of a 4 person crew, loading ordinance on the F-4 Phantom fighter jet. He spent 6 months deployed to Kunsan Air Base in Korea. He was later deployed for a year to Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam with the 366th munitions maintenance squadron, where he loaded aircraft with 500 lb mark-82 bombs to be flown on missions. He then was reassigned to Takli Air Base in Thailand for 30 days to help set up their preload operation. He was honorably discharged as a SGT and returned to CT in 1972. He worked many years in the field of telecommunications. Larry is a member of Post #13, and he was our Veteran’s Night Honoree back in 2019.
Michael Vassar was recognized as the Post #13 Legionnaire of the year for 2024. Mike was the Post Commander in 2022 and 2023. He has been an American Legion member for 17 years. He served as Jr Vice Commander, Senior Vice Commander, then Commander. He has chaired multiple American Legion Committees, Charity Club, Veterans Tribute Night, Golf Tournament, and Scholarship. He serves as the Captain of the Color Guard and participates in all formations including the Memorial Day Parade, Legion Baseball events, Beirut Remembrance, Veterans Day, the Nov Dazzle Light Parade, Wreaths Across America, He also supported Veteran’s funerals. Under Mike’s leadership the Post has prospered and has been integral to the social fabric of our community.  Mr Vassar is very active in the community – with the Putnam’s Veterans Advisory Committee, the Putnam Elks Club, the Putnam Board of Finance, the Special Services District Authority Board. He is a Putnam Business Association Member. He is also a Little League Coach. Michael Vassar was a Sergeant in the US Marine Corps from 1992-1996. He was a Combat Photographer, stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA. As a specialist in photographic reconnaissance and historical documentation, he was assigned to multiple Joint Tasks Force Missions for Drug Reconnaissance, Border Patrol, and Wild Fires in Washington State and Montana. Since 2015 he has been the Director of Operations & Maintenance – for the Killingly Public School District, Killingly CT. He is married and has one son – Connor, who is a full-time student and USMC reservist.

captions, page 4:

Warrender, left, and Brown. 
Larry Christy
Mike Vassar, left, with Legion Commander Michael Rocchetti.

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