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Honored

Five local veterans were awarded the CT Veterans Wartime Service Medals Feb. 8.  Left to right: Veterans Agent Garry Brown, David Bettencourt (SP4 U.S. Army), Dayville; Pomfret First Selectman Craig Baldwin; Douglas Hopkins (HM3 U.S. Navy), Pomfret; Bronac Stachura (LCpl U.S. Marine Corp), Danielson; Francis Vertefeuille (Sgt U.S. Marine Corp), Brooklyn and Richard Long (TSGT U.S. Air Force), Pomfret. Courtesy photo.

 

 

 

By Linda Lemmon

Town Crier Editor

It started with a free pancake breakfast and ended with five veterans receiving recognition from the state of Connecticut.

Garry Brown, the Pomfret veterans agent, planned to attend the Boy Scouts' and Girls Scouts' free pancake breakfast for veterans around Veterans Day last November.  Brown intended to talk with veterans during the breakfast to find local veterans who had not received the Connecticut Veterans Wartime Service Medal.

The medal was instituted by state legislators around 2005, Brown said. The last time the state had honored veterans was 1920, he added. 

Brown happened to run into Pomfret First Selectman Craig Baldwin who told him that if veterans who deserved the award were found, he'd offer the Pomfret Town Hall for the ceremony.

Brown found five veterans and last week the five were awarded the medal at the Pomfret Town Hall.

All seemed appreciative of the recognition, Brown said. Brown added that, in his opinion about the honors, "it has  been a while."

Brown said he will continue "by chance" to seek out veterans who deserve the medal. "It's important."