At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, New Canaan’s VFW Post 653 will lead the annual Veteran’s Day ceremony to honor and commemorate the service of military veterans at the Wayside Cross and the bottom of God’s Acre.

Veteran’s Day is distinct from Memorial Day in May which honors those who died while serving in the military. The date and time of the commemoration of Veteran’s Day link back to Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War I.

This year is a special one for New Canaan’s VFW Post, officially known as Howard M. Bossa and Peter C. Langenus Post 653 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. The Post is celebrating its 100th anniversary. It was originally chartered in 1921 as a club for young World War I veterans.

In celebration of the 100th Anniversary, VFW Post 653 will place 1,000 flags on God’s Acre just above the Wayside Cross on Saturday, November 6th, with the assistance of boy scouts from BSA Troop 70.

Col. Stephen S. Hamilton. Credit – US Army official photo

This year’s Veteran’s Day ceremony will include a distinguished speaker from West Point – Col. Stephen S. Hamilton. Col. Hamilton is an Associate Professor at the United States Military Academy, a Cyber officer in the US Army. He has deployed to Iraq as a signal company commander, and to Louisiana in support of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. He has held various staff positions in signal and cyber units. Stephen is currently the Chief of Staff and Technical Director of the Army Cyber Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the United States Military Academy, a Master of Science in Software Engineering from Auburn University, and a PhD in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.

In addition to the VFW, various town officials and the Daughters’ of the American Revolution (DAR) will participate in the ceremony. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan will introduce Col. Hamilton. The First Selectman will also be presented a flag flown over the US Capitol in honor of VFW Post 653’s 100th Anniversary. The ceremony will be opened and closed by Bugler Michael Mank, a student a New Canaan High School and an Alternate to the All National Band in 2020.

Mike McGlinn, Commander of VFW Post 653, commented, “It is important for the VFW and the New Canaan community to celebrate Veterans Day. We honor all veterans, living or deceased, on this day and our brief ceremony at God’s Acre is a great way to show our respect for all New Canaanites that have served in the armed forces.

On November 27^th, a number of community groups in New Canaan will place wreaths on graves in honor of New Canaan’s deceased veterans.  The annual effort is organized by the VFW and covers all of the known veterans in New Canaan’s public and private cemeteries.  The effort is supported financially by the Exchange Club, which provides the wreaths at cost, money raised from poppy sales over Memorial Day weekend and private donations.  

If you know of a recently deceased veteran buried in New Canaan or if you would like to contribute to the annual cost of purchasing 1,200 wreaths and bows, please contact Mike McGlinn at 203-962-1302 or email at Michael@mcglinnins.com.