Keeping All Service Members 'In Our Minds and Our Hearts'

Angeline Dortenzio may only be a grade school student at the , but Memorial Day has already taken on a special meaning in her young life.

When she was still a little girl, Dortenzio’s great cousin, Army Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio of Glastonbury, was killed in August 2010 while serving in Afghanistan after insurgents attacked his unit with small arms grenade fire. The loss left her family heartbroken.

“We went through some rough times without Steven,” Dortenzio recalls. “We missed him at family parties and I remember playing with him in the pool at his parents house. As hard as it was for me, it was even harder for his parents and his fiancée.”

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That was why on Monday morning, shortly after ended and many had packed up to head to their neighborhood or family party’s, she joined several hundred who stayed behind to pay tribute to all the fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country.

Veterans, members of , the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, the Knights of Columbus, local and state politicians, the , the and several other organizations in town came together for the annual Memorial Day service.

See the complete video of the event, included above, as well as the video of those recognized for paying the ultimate sacrifice.

The service included a wreath laying for the nine Southington residents who have been killed in the line of duty and recognized those veterans, families of veterans and members of the community who have gone above and behind to help make life a little easier.

Dortenzio’s story is a touching one, but she is far from alone as 6,438 servicemen and women have been killed in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, according to Army 1st Sgt. Keith Egan. Egan, a Southington detective, spoke passionately as he asked those in town to remember those who have been lost.

“As a service member, I made the commitment that I would never let a fellow service members death go unrecognized,” he said. “I’ll never forget the memory and sadness of speaking to a friend, sharing stories and laughs only to be told hours later that they wouldn’t be returning from a mission.”

“As of today, 6,438 service members won’t get to enjoy another BBQ or watch a car race; 6,438 families will be without their loved one to enjoy the holiday and toast in the new season.”

State Rep. Bruce “Zeke” Zalaski and American Legion member, veteran Steve Pintarich, each used the opportunity to challenge everyone to not only remember, but step up and find a way to help those who are putting their lives on the line every day.

Zalaski, who will retire from political life in November, said he didn’t come because he felt obligated to or because he was seeking votes. Instead, he said he felt it important to attend the event as a respect for every service member, living or dead.

“We should be thankful, not just for the weekend, but every day we should be thanking our veterans for (their service),” Zalaski said. “We should be working together to find a way to say thanks every day, in our minds and our hearts, for everything that our servicemen and women have done for Southington.”

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