New Canaan Marks Veterans Day with VFW-Led Ceremony at Town Hall

When he was a young man growing up in Seattle and thinking about joining the military, U.S. Army Col. Jeffrey Erickson’s father mentioned that his own uncle—Walter “Bud” Anderson—had been in the Navy during World War II. Erickson, now director of the Army Cyber Institute at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y, decided to delve into the family history. 

He discovered that his great-uncle Bud had been aboard the USS Nevada in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941—the day the Japanese attacked the United States, drawing the nation into the war. 

Reciting his great-uncle’s experience that day in Bud’s own words, Erickson told more than 100 people gathered at Town Hall for New Canaan’s annual Veterans Day ceremony about the moment a soldier came on deck with distressing news.

“He was all shook up and said the Japanese planes were bombing the ships,” Erickson said, relaying his great-uncle Bud’s own words before the rapt attendees, which included local veterans, members of VFW Post 653, New Canaan Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel, municipal workers, representatives from the Hannah Benedict Carter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and others.

“The bomb that went through the bridge hit an ammunition ready box that had exploded. Lots of shrapnel flew around. A first class gunner’s mate sat on the chair. He had been hit by shrapnel, had a large gash on his stomach. All his intestines were laying in his lap. He was conscious. I think he died later that day. There was a fellow sitting on a chair with one leg shot off. The chaplain was there. He put a tourniquet on to stop the bleeding. Someone put me in charge to help him. About that time somebody said to abandon the ship. But I didn’t leave.”

Ultimately, Anderson and others were able to maneuver the USS Nevada enough to allow other ships to move about the harbor, facilitating the Navy’s response to the surprise attack amid the chaos, Erickson recalled.

Erickson’s great-uncle Bud not only survived Pearl Harbor but went on to serve in the Pacific Theater for the remainder of the war, returning afterwards to his small town in rural Minnesota to work as a butcher. 

“Despite having been a sailor present at one of the most pivotal events of the 20th Century and our nation’s entrance into World War II, perhaps some of the biggest accomplishments he achieved included his volunteer work in the community,” Erickson said. “Volunteer fire chief for 25 years, scoutmaster, businessmen’s association and the Lion’s Club.”

Bud Anderson passed in 2003, he said.

“When my dad was a young man, having seen the example of Uncle Bud and others of World War II, he enlisted in the Navy and served in Vietnam and later with a SeaBee unit, retiring as a chief petty officer in the Naval Reserve,” Erickson said. “My dad’s service in turn inspired me to pursue acceptance to the Naval Academy, but in a last-minute decision my senior year in high school, I decided to go the Army route and went to West Point. I would like to think that my service—but not as much as my wife, Stephanie, who is also a West Point grad—has inspired my own daughter to attend West Point and serve, which brings me to think, as an officer, father and citizen, about the veterans of the future.”

Erickson delivered the main address at the annual ceremony, led by VFW Post 653 Commander Mike McGlinn, an artillery officer during the Vietnam War. With members of the New Canaan Police Department Color Guard bearing the American flag, the approximately 30-minute ceremony included the Pledge of Allegiance, prayers led by VFW Chaplain Brian Van der Heyden, comments from First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, moment of silence, placing of memorial wreaths by the Daughters of the American Revolution, recitation of the poem “In Flanders Fields” and playing of “Taps” by New Canaan High School students.

Typically held in front of the Wayside Cross at the foot of God’s Acre, a World War I memorial, the ceremony was moved inside due to expected rain. It was followed by a reception in Town Hall.

In her remarks, Caroline Sparico, vice regent of the Hannah Benedict Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution talked about the history and meaning of the Wayside Cross. 

“The five panels on the front of the Cross represent the American Revolution, the War of 1912, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and World War I,” she said.

“In 1981, a mounted plaque was added to the base, listing the honored dead from World War II and Vietnam,” Sparico continued. “It took years of discussion and debate, but when the time came to unveil the Cross, over 1,500 citizens of New Canaan came together to celebrate and honor its meaning and purpose. How fortunate are we to be part of a community that enjoys the liberty to freely express and debate our opinions, but in the end, one that joins together to celebrate and honor our universal values of respect and love for our great country and the men and women who serve and protect? Anchoring the Cross is a base inscribed with these words that I hope we can all reflect on today: ‘Dedicated to the glory of almighty God in memory of the New Canaan men and women who, by their unselfish patriotism, have advanced the American ideals of liberty and the brotherhood of men.’ The three other sides of this base read ‘service,’ ‘sacrifice’ and ‘loyalty.’ And that is what we are gathered here today to celebrate: The service, sacrifice and loyalty of our town’s beloved veterans.”

Erickson in his address touched on the work of the Army Cyber Institute, saying there’s “an increasing recognition” about the role of the “cyber warrior” in today’s military.

“We’ll still need soldiers that can kick down doors, but we’ll also need cyber warriors that can unlock that digital lock before the door kicker gets there,” he said. “We’ll need warriors capable of closing with and defeating the enemy on the field of battle and cyber warriors that can obscure their movement by denying unmanned aerial sensors’ observation of the operation.”

Erickson said that in three months he’ll retire after 34 years of service, and that when he was 18 years old he couldn’t have envisioned how his military career would have unfolded.

“As I look back, though, it’s the examples and inspirations from folks like Great Uncle Bud, my father and countless soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that I’ve had the honor of knowing that inspired and motivated me through it all,” Erickson said. “So first, I want to say a personal ‘thank you’ to all of the veterans present. Words cannot fully capture the many sacrifices you’ve made in service of our great nation.”

He also urged those veterans to talk to younger relatives and family friends about their military experiences, noting that there’s a recruiting shortage. 

“Take the time to inspire the next generation,” he said. “You may not know it, but you may someday be somebody else’s ‘Great Uncle Bud.’ ”