Charter Rededication Ceremony

Two Elm City Veteran Service Organizations Mark Milestones With A Charter Rededication Ceremony

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Charles Pickett
Organization: VFW New Haven Post 12150 and American Legion New Haven Post 210
Email Address: cpickett @ vfwnewhaven.org; https://vfwnewhaven.org/charter-rededication/

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Nov. 12, 2026) — Marking more than a decade of dedicated service in the Elm City, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) New Haven Post 12150 and the American Legion New Haven Post 210 will host a joint Charter Rededication Ceremony. 

Local veterans, community members, and guests are invited to attend the event on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Knights of St. Patrick (1533 State St., New Haven, CT 06511). An informal reception will be held immediately following the ceremony.

Charles M. Pickett, lead organizer and founding member of both posts, said the joint charter rededication ceremony celebrates the public display of the organizations’ foundational charters. Stored in their original mailing tubes until last month, the documents have now been professionally mounted by Framer’s Edge Gallery and Frame in Orange.

Furthermore, the joint charter rededication ceremony honors the thousands of dollars and countless volunteer hours contributed by both posts in dedicated service to veterans, their families, and the broader community. While they are both still the newest veteran posts in Connecticut, the VFW New Haven has achieved the lofty VFW All-American post status five times, and the American Legion New Haven was recognized as the fastest growing post in the state in 2025. The event also offers an opportunity to recognize the steadfast support of the Knights of St. Patrick, New Haven’s oldest Irish-American fraternal and cultural organization, established in 1878.

VFW New Haven:

Although New Haven previously was home to VFW Posts 150 and 320, both had been disbanded for years. Over the winter of 2015, student veterans at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU)—especially those frequenting the SCSU Veterans Center founded by longtime director Jack Mordente—rapidly recruited dozens of fellow Global War on Terror (GWOT) veterans. The students aimed to build a veteran community that lasted past graduation day, and to combat the ongoing American veteran suicide epidemic through social connectedness. The group held its first organizational meeting on Thursday, May 14, 2015, at the New Haven Elks Lodge #25 on State Street, courtesy of Exalted Ruler William Tinker. The charter was officially granted on June 11, 2015, and subsequently delivered at their Institution Ceremony on September 10, 2015, at the Elks Lodge. When the Elks decided to sell their building, the post relocated its monthly meetings to the Knights of St. Patrick on May 12, 2016. Honoring the spirit of Saint Patrick’s feast day, Knights leadership—President Michael O’Hare and Vice President Michael York—had generously worked out an agreement for free meeting space following the 2016 annual parade.

American Legion New Haven:

Following the success of the VFW New Haven, a group of Post-9/11 veterans began organizing a new American Legion post in January 2018. While recruiting for the VFW, Pickett met dozens of honorably discharged veterans who were ineligible for the VFW because they had not served overseas in a combat zone—highlighting a key membership distinction between the two service organizations. Historically, New Haven supported five American Legion posts in 1950, including Westville Post 39 (founded after World War I) and Yankee Division Post 130 at the State Armory. Today, the only operating legacy post is American Legion Post 132, which serves as a specialized post for active and retired members of the New Haven Fire Department. The effort to establish the new post was led by Post-9/11 veterans and Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) alumni Britt Conroy, Pickett, and Biancesca Rivera, alongside University of Connecticut graduate Thania Rivera. The post received its temporary charter on September 2, 2018, from American Legion National Commander Brett P. Reistad. Its permanent charter was granted on December 10, 2018, and officially delivered on the American Legion’s 100th anniversary—March 19, 2019—by Department Commander Tom Flowers and Adjutant Harry “Butch” Hansen during a sold-out Centennial Celebration dinner at Adriana’s Restaurant in New Haven.