Grand Marshal, Guest Speaker Set For NC Memorial Day Parade

NEW CANAAN, CT — Two distinguished New Canaan residents have been selected as the Grand Marshal and Guest Speaker for the 2019 New Canaan Memorial Day Parade, scheduled for May 27, New Canaan VFW Commander Peter Langenus announced.

Lisa Melland will service as the Grand Marshal, and United States Army veteran Aaron Hall will be the Guest Speaker.

The parade, which steps off from St. Mark's Church on Oenoke Ridge Road at 9:30 a.m., will follow Oenoke Ridge into town, with a brief stop to salute flag and veteran plaque at God's Acre, and end at Lakeview Cemetery. Marchers are asked to gather at 9 a.m.

Langenus tells Patch that each year the Grand Marshal is "someone who's rendered wonderful service to veterans," and for 2019, "Lisa is an incredibly impressive person." See her bio below.

"For the Guest Speaker, our primary focus is on a combat veteran from New Canaan, and as you can see Aaron exemplifies that and has a lot of experience," Langenus said. See his bio below.

The Reverend Dr. Derrick Fallon, the Pastor of Saint Michael’s Lutheran Church will give the Invocation and Benediction.

Before the parade, at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, the VFW will lead the placing of 1,100 flags on graves at Lakeview Cemetery. Volunteers are needed and welcome, according Langenus.

Bio of Lisa Melland

Lisa Melland was born in Omaha, Nebraska and has been a resident of New Canaan for 23 years. For the last three years, Lisa served as Regent of the Hannah Benedict Carter Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, in New Canaan. Lisa was recently elected to the office of Connecticut DAR State Chaplain and appointed as a National Vice Chair at DAR Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Hannah Benedict Carter Chapter, NSDAR, was organized in 1894 and is one of the largest and fastest growing DAR Chapters in Connecticut.

In New Canaan, Lisa founded and chaired the Mead Playground Renovation (1998) and assisted in the development of the Founding Families Campaign to determine demand for what came to be known as the Waveny Pool. Lisa has held multiple community service leadership positions including serving as New Canaan Cares Kitchen Tour Chair for two years. She is the recipient of a “Volunteer of the Year” Award from New Canaan Cares.

Lisa graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business, B.S. Degree in Economics, magna cum laude. Elected President of the American Marketing Association, Wharton/PENN Chapter, Lisa was a Brand Management Marketing executive with Clorox and Kenner Toys. Lisa has been married to Scot for 30 years with two daughters, Katie and Lydia. They are parishioners at St. Mark’s where you will find them manning the “meat tent” or the white elephant sale yearly at the May Fair.

Bio of Aaron Hall

Aaron Hall, Captain, US Army, Military Intelligence Officer, served honorably from 2004-2014. He served primarily with the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), 5 th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Aaron completed two combat deployments to Iraq during the campaigns of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. Aaron also served on Foreign Internal Defense (FID) missions to the Middle East training fellow Special Forces.

During Aaron's first deployment to Iraq, 2006-2007, he was responsible for planning, developing, and executing 52 humanitarian aid projects, totaling $15.2 million, to the southern Iraq cities of Mahmudiyah and Lutifiyah. These projects resulted in 20 new schools being built, 25 miles of new roads being paved, new bridges being built, modernizing the electrical grid, purification of water to remote villages and farmers, and the establishment of peaceful and economic conditions supporting the development of City Governance, numerous labor jobs being created, and children returning to school.

From 2008-2010, Aaron managed a 40 person Intelligence Detachment supporting 400 Special Forces Operators on broad based rapid deployment missions that ranged from the Horn of Africa to Western Afghanistan.

During Aaron's services, he received the Meritorious Service Medal, five Army Commendation Medals, two Valorous Unit Awards, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, two Iraqi Campaign Medals with Campaign Stars, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, German Armed Forces Badge, and German Language Proficiency.

Aaron's Military Education includes: Army ROTC Scholarship at Doane College (Nebraska), MBA at Syracuse University (New York), Military Intelligence Officer Basic Training, Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Training, Counter Intelligence, Human Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Signal Intelligence operation courses.

Aaron, his wife Kristin, and their two children, Abigail (2) and Theodore (6 months) moved to New Canaan, in October 2018. Currently, Aaron works at UBS Financial Services, Inc, in Greenwich, and Kristin works as a Pediatric Physician Assistant in Stamford.