Greenwich Marks Veterans Day With Patriotic Walk, Moving Ceremony

GREENWICH, CT — Under bright blue skies and fall sunshine on Wednesday morning, the community came out to mark Veterans Day with a patriotic march and ceremony in downtown Greenwich.

Originally called Armistice Day, Veterans Day is always officially observed on Nov. 11 to reflect the signing of the armistice ending World War I at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. The observance was changed to Veterans Day in 1954.

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Veterans, community organizations, first responders and elected officials marched down Greenwich Avenue on Wednesday before gathering in Veterans Plaza Park in front of Restoration Hardware near the World War I monument for a brief ceremony that included a presentation of the colors, music, a rifle salute, prayer, a wreath-laying, and brief remarks.

This year's keynote speaker was Lt. Joel S. Chapman, a resident of Oakdale, CT, who currently serves in the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound.

Chapman joined the USCG in 2011, and currently directs operations in the navigable waters throughout Connecticut and Long Island, including maritime commerce, marine events, aids to navigation, and helps coordinate with federal, state, local and port partners. He has garnered several medals and awards for his service.

"The Coast Guard has a unique place among America's armed forces," Chapman told a crowd of around 100 people.

"We're a military service, a maritime law enforcement agency, first responder and a humanitarian force. We operate wherever America's interests meet the water, along our coasts, on our rivers and waterways, in our ports, across the Arctic, and far from home along our joint interagency and international partners."

Chapman highlighted the four major pillars of the Coast Guard, which include saving lives and property through search and rescue, defending the country's borders, facilitating commerce, and responding to natural or manmade disasters.

"Our mission is broad, but it's grounded in a straightforward promise: we defend our shores, protect our people, and preserve the maritime lifelines on which our nation depends," Chapman said. "The Coast Guard's work is demanding, because the maritime environment is demanding. It requires courage, technical skill, endurance and an unwavering commitment to service."

Chapman said there is an understanding among veterans that service is not defined by where they served, or what uniform they wore. Service is defined by a commitment larger than oneself and a "willingness to answer the call, to accept responsibility, and to stand the watch for others."

"That legacy belongs to every generation of American veteran. It's a legacy that the Coast Guard is proud to inherit and obligated to carry forward. As we observe Veterans Day, let us remember those who served before us, honor those who serve today, and support the families who make that service possible," Chapman said.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said Greenwich has sent someone to every major war and battle since 1776, and he said there were just under 1,200 veterans residing in Greenwich according to the most recent U.S. Census conducted in 2020.

"These are people who have protected our freedoms in times of war, and safeguarded our liberties and those freedoms in times of peace," Camillo said. "It is not enough just to say thank you. We really, really do have to mean it and show it with our actions."

Longtime Greenwich resident, volunteer and philanthropist Leory Levy, who was the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate race, was a special guest speaker on Wednesday.

Levy said that while the missions and circumstances of those in the armed forces have changed over the years, there has been a common commitment to defend the United States and the principles the nation was founded on.

"Our veterans have been the guardians, not only of America, but of Western civilization," she said. "They have defended a civilization that values human dignity over oppression, individual liberty over state control, and rule of law over the rule of force."

Cmdr. Peter LeBeau of American Legion Post 29 emceed the ceremony, and called veterans "very special people."

"They are the only group, apart from law enforcement, that when they join, they swear a solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and to put their very life on the line for our country," he said, noting that of the 40 million men and women who have served in the armed forces since the Revolutionary War, 1.5 million have died.

"A veteran is not just someone who went into the army and put on a uniform. They're someone who put their life on the line for each and every one of us," LeBeau added. "If you see a veteran, say thank you for your service. It means a lot to us; it really does."