State and local leaders in Connecticut recognized the contributions of veterans at a ceremony in New Haven.
Dozens of veterans and residents came together for the annual ceremony at New Haven City Hall. There was representation from the Connecticut Minuteman Composite Squadron with the presentation of the colors. The New Haven VFW members laid wreaths at the war memorial flagpole outside of City Hall after the ceremony.
Gov. Ned Lamont and Mayor Justin Elicker were among the speakers. Elicker said it's vital to honor veterans because of their hard work to protect our freedoms.
“We must work to honor what our veterans have done for us. By working everyday, striving with all of our integrity to nurture and protect our nation. It’s values, our values, that they fought so hard to protect,” Elicker said.
Elicker said it’s important to honor veterans by providing needed support and services, like health care, when they come home. He said another way to honor veterans is by protecting the values and freedoms they fought hard to preserve.
“We as Americans have a responsibility and a duty to protect those values. That duty is one we must uphold every single day in the way we conduct ourselves, in the way we engage with one another, in the way we inform ourselves and in the way we cast our vote,” Elicker said.
Elicker was one of several speakers who mentioned the recent election and how it impacts each citizen. He said that while many disagree with certain values, there are also shared values.
State Senator Gary Winfield, a veteran, was the principal speaker at the event. Winfield said it’s important to veterans' efforts during war and peacetime. He said it may feel like a divisive time in the country, but the holiday promotes unity in recognizing those who serve.
Winfield expressed mixed feelings as he said his perspective on military service has changed throughout the years. But he said regardless of a person's perspective on the country, we should respect those who serve it.
“I wrestled with the notion that there were a set of ideals we didn't always live up to and that as I was putting my life on the line, sometimes when we don't live up to those ideals, people like myself are on the wrong end of that deal,” Winfield said. “But that wrestling made me love this country even more because there are a set of ideals for us to put our life on the line for.”
