Greenwich Time
By Meredith Blake
The sound of the gun salute could be heard booming across Long Island Sound yesterday as more than 100 people gathered outside the Indian Harbor Yacht Club to solemnly honor veterans, soldiers serving in the armed forces and especially those who have given all for their country.
The annual dockside event, sponsored by American Legion Post 29, included a reading of the names of the more than 30 Connecticut soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as a flag-raising and the laying of a flowered wreath in the water.
"It actually brought a tear to my eye," said Lt. Richard Cochran of the Greenwich Police Department.
Veterans from the Korean War, Vietnam War and the Second World War attended the event. For many, it was a fitting opportunity to remember their comrades lost.
World War II veteran Frank Novak, 82, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, said Memorial Day is extremely important to him. Having lost a brother and a brother-in-law during during the war, Memorial Day offers him a chance to reflect on their sacrifice.
"It's important for me personally, but also for all those families who have lost someone," he said.
Former Marine Christopher Hughes, 40, officiated yesterday's ceremony, reminding those assembled of the sacrifices the men and women of the armed services make to provide freedom in this country, he said.
Keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, asked attendees to think not only about the men and women who have lost their lives but the families who have lost loved ones.
"We take for granted the men and women who serve, but also the families who have lost loved ones," he said.
When reflecting on this holiday, remember the son whose father missed a Little League game or the daughter whose father missed her ballet recital, he said.
During the ceremony the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich Honor Guard raised the flag to half-mast, and at its end laid the wreath in the water from a police boat just off the dock.
Original Article: http://www.greenwichtime.com/ci_9382724
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