On a cold night in late February 1921, a handful of young veterans of World War I met in New Canaan Town Hall to organize their newly chartered Veterans of Foreign Wars post. At the time, it was one of the earliest Posts in Connecticut.
A century later, the post, now known as the Howard M. Bossa and Peter C. Langenus Post 653, remains active in promoting and organizing civic and patriotic programs for New Canaan, including organizing and leading the annual Memorial Day Parade and ceremony at Lakeview, Veteran’s Day services at the Wayside Cross on God’s Acre and the placing of flags and wreaths on the almost 1,200 graves of veterans in New Canaan’s many cemeteries.
Today, the post is led by Francis “Mike” McGlinn as commander. Serving with him are Russ Kimes, senior vice commander, John McLane, quartermaster, Aaron Hall, junior vice commander, Brian Vanderheyden, chaplin, and four trustees, Leon Krolikowski, Frank Gallo, John Calitiri, and Paul Sedlak. The post meets at the Masonic Lodge at 231 Main St. on the second Tuesday of each month.
McGlinn, who served as an Artillery Officer during the Vietnam War, said a press release, “The VFW never forgets a veteran and we will continue to honor and respect all veterans, living and deceased, here in New Canaan. Our community projects help strengthen the respect for the flag and honor all our local deceased veterans with a wreath at Christmas, and a flag at Memorial Day, on every veteran gravesite. Being a member of the VFW is an honor, and the members share a special bond because of their combat experience.”
The post is named after two of New Canaan’s most celebrated veterans – Howard M. Bossa, a standout athlete at New Canaan High School who died in 1918 while serving in the U. S. Army in World War I; and Peter C. Langenus, a veteran of both the Vietnam War and Desert Storm and long-time community leader with the VFW and Boy Scouts. Langenus was the commander of Post 653 until he passed away in 2020.
The VFW traces its roots to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection formed local organizations to assist them in securing medical care and other benefits. The main veteran’s group at the time, the Grand Army of the Republic, catered exclusively to Civil War veterans. These independent groups banded together in 1914 to form the VFW which received a congressional charter in 1936. Today, there are 1.6 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in 6,200 Posts worldwide.
On November 27th, 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.