Veterans Day 11-11-11

It was no coincidence that the Veterans Day ceremony outside the historic 1917 US Post Office on Greenwich Avenue was scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday.

In the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the armistice, or cessation of hostilities between Allied Nations and Germany, was signed, effectively ending World War I. The following year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as the first commemoration of Armistice Day.

In a fitting ceremony that included remarks by event organizer and former Marine, Chris Hughes, and both State Rep. Livvy Floren (R-149) and her co-chair of the Greenwich Boys and Girls State Commission, American Legion member Erf Porter, veterans of the US Armed Forces and their families were honored for their dedication and sacrifice.

Tony Cossu, member of Post 29 of the patriotic veterans organization, The American Legion, explained the workings of Connecticut Boys’ and Girls’ State, a weeklong program in which rising high school seniors who have been vetted and nominated locally, spend a week learning and forming their own state government.

Fellow Post 29 member, Porter, announced that William Sadock, a GHS Folsom House senior, is the recipient of the Legion’s 2011 “Young Person of the Year” award. Sadock underwent an extensive interview process, where his citizenship, scholarship, and leadership were scrutinized. At Boys State, Sadock distinguished himself among 300 peers from other high schools, securing his party’s nomination for governor and was elected by nearly a 2:1 margin.

The road did not end there for Sadock. His counselors selected him as a delegate to Boys Nation, where a total of 100 delegates – two from each state – attend a weeklong program. There, Sadock was elected President Pro Tem of the US Senate, which was the third highest Boys’ Nation office, and the highest position anyone from Connecticut has held since Boys Nation was started in 1934.

Sadock’s outgoing guidance counselor, Brenda Friedler, recently retired after 38 with Greenwich Public Schools, as well as his current counselor, Louis Quinn, and Dana Tulotta, Folsom House Administrator, all attended the event alongside Sadock and parents, Nancy and Robert.

In his remarks, Sadock described that what was most meaningful of his Boys State and Boys Nation experiences was “being able to interact with so many great leaders and, for example, at dinner, to sit down and listen to stories of the Vietnam War that I would never have imagined.”

In his convocation, Rabbi Yossi Deren of Chabad Greenwich, praised veterans and expressed his gratitude for their service and sacrifice, “so that fellow citizens may live in peace, tranquility and prosperity.” Deren went on to refer to American freedom as “a symbol to the world of our honor, grace and integrity.”

Newly-minted Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey recalled, “Growing up in the Heavey family over on Lewis Street, my father’s infantry cap and badge were revered.” He referred to a “tradition of patriotism and service we should teach our young,” adding, “I want to encourage people never to miss an opportunity to thank a veteran for their service … Both in word and deed, whenever the opportunity arises.” Heavey went on to issue a challenge to the town’s youth that they aim to outnumber the adults at next year’s ceremony.

The event concluded with the raising of the flag by members of the Boys & Girls Club Honor Guard, followed by placing of a wreath on the war monument by Heavey and young members of the Greenwich Police Explorers.

Jill Baumeister of J Papers on Bruce Park Avenue was recognized for having printed the certificates presented at the ceremony for many years. Likewise, the owners of , sent word that veterans would be welcome to cross the street for a coffee and croissant “on the house.”

After hands were shaken, congratulations offered, and photos taken, the wind whisked participants off to spend the remainder of the day reflecting on the sacrifices of veterans, each in their own personal way.