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13V W - H HHayes-Velhage Post 96The American LegionW H, CServing our Veterans and Community Since 1922Hayes-Velhage Post 96The American LegionW H, CServing our Veterans and Community Since 1922Vietnam War Veteran Anne Howell First woman member of West Hartford’s American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 > First woman ocer of the post > First woman Commander > First woman District Commander in Hartford County > First woman member of West Hartford’s VFW Hannon-Hatch PostAnne “Mickie” HowellUS Air Force Sergeant1962-1966Anne “Mickie” Howell joined the Air Force in 1962, and was a Sta Sergeant in Vietnam in the Air to Ground Communications Division. She left the service in 1966 and moved to Connecticut, where she became Tax Collector for the Town of West Hartford. She was the first woman member of West Hartford’s American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 (1970), first woman ocer of the post (1972), first woman Commander (1974-75), and first woman District Commander in Hartford County (1978). She was also the first woman member of West Hartford’s VFW Hannon-Hatch post (1982). She received radio station WRCH’s Distinguished Service Award, and belonged to the American Business Women’s Association. She was honored as one of the Outstanding Young Women of America in 1975. Anne lost her battle with lung cancer in 2004.45 Raymond Road | P.O. Box 370160 | West Hartford, CT 06137860.233.9029 | www.post96.org @AmericanLegionPost96H-V P The American LegionBrian John Cronin, was a Navy bombardier navigator aboard a light bomber flying a night recon mission over Vietnam on December 9, 1964, when his plane was downed in the South China Sea. He was West Hartford’s first casualty and died at age 24. Brian went to UCONN where his father was Dean of the UConn School of Social Work. He graduated from East Hartford High School, and then lived with his widowed mother before he enlisted. After earning a BA Degree in June 1961 from the University of Connecticut at Storrs, he was inspired by his hero, JFK, to enlist in the Navy. Upon the awarding for his wings, he was assigned to the USS Ranger, an aircraft carrier stationed in the South China Sea where it provided recon and support over Vietnam. His name and rank are engraved on the first panel of the Vietnam Memorial in DC.Brian J. Cronin Lt. US NavyUSS Ranger Aircraft Carrier1961 – 1964Harrell and platoon out on patrol Patrick HarrellInfantry Platoon Commander, 26th Marines, and 1st Reconnaissance Battalion1968-1970Raised as a ‘Navy brat,’ Patrick Harrell grew up on Naval bases all along the eastern seaboard, and on the island of Oahu, in the territory of Hawaii, before it became a state. During his father’s military occupation as a submariner, Groton, Connecticut became ‘home base’ and Pat was able to attend the University of Connecticut as a state student.Pat joined the Naval reserves in his senior high-school year in Charleston, SC. After graduating from the UConn in 1968, he received a commission with the Marine Corps. Following training camp, he was sent to Vietnam and served as an infantry platoon commander in the 26th Marines, and later with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion.On completion of his service with the Corps, Pat settled in Hartford in the early 70’s, and launched a career as a data designer, modeler, and consultant traveling throughout the US and abroad.Pat joined the American Legion in the mid 80’s, and became active after retirement in 2013, serving asPost 96 Commander in 2020 – 2021.Commander Harrell at Veteran’s Day ceremony, 2021 Photo: Ronni Newton The Moving Wall June 17-20, 2010The Moving Wall, the half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., was on display 24 hours a day on the front lawn of West Hartford Town Hall, from Thursday, June 17 through Sunday, June 20, 2010.The memorial is dedicated to the 2.7 million men and women who served in the Vietnam War and especially to the 58,253 who gave their lives or who remain missing. The names of the 18 residents killed from West Hartford were read and remembered.Poster: Laurel Graphic DesignPhoto: Dreamstime.com
14G W TU.S. N C - F W FTHE GULF WAR was an armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition’s eorts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991, and Operation Desert Storm, which began with the aerial bombing campaign against Iraq in January 1991, and came to a close with the American-led liberation of Kuwait on February 28, 1991. During that time, the US Department of Defense reports that U.S. forces suered 293 battle-related and non-combat deaths. *THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM (GWOT) is an international counter-terrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The conflict lasted two decades and spanned four U.S. presidencies, becoming the longest war in American history. The targets of the campaign are primarily Islamic terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN (marking the beginning of the “forever war” on terrorism), started on October 7, 2001, when the United States invaded the country after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, the head of al-Qaeda. After years of conflict, in November 2010, NATO countries agreed to a transition of power to local Afghan security forces by the end of 2014. On May 2, 2011, following a 10-year manhunt, U.S. Navy Seals killed bin Laden in Pakistan.American troops reached a peak of approximately 110,000 soldiers in Afghanistan in 2011. Following bin Laden’s death, troops began progressive withdrawals in 2014, leaving 9,800 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan to train local forces. Even amid peace talks, Taliban attacks continued to escalate and the United States continued with airstrikes. The United States and Taliban signed a peace agreement on February 29, 2020. On August 30, 2021, the last American military plane departed Afghanistan. Soon after, Taliban forces captured Kabul and re-established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.* During the war in Afghanistan, more than 3,500 allied soldiers were killed, including 2,448 American service members.THE IRAQ WAR started when U.S. forces invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003 to destroy what were believed to be stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, and to end the brutal, dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. On April 29, 2003, U.S. forces formally secured Baghdad and the Hussein regime was declared to have ended. But the last U.S. troops left Iraq in December 2011, ending a nearly nine-year military mission. Since 2003, more than one million airmen, soldiers, sailors, and Marines served in the country. The costs of the conflict were high: $800 billion from the U.S. Treasury, with nearly 4,500 Americans and well over 100,000 Iraqis killed.* A more comprehensive list of wars involving the United States can be found on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States | https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/persian-gulf-war | https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/afghanistan-war | Council on Foreign Relations/Iraq WarPoster: Laurel Graphic DesignParatroopers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, move into position after air assaulting into Lwar Kowndalan, Afghanistan, Oct. 1, 2005 | Photo by Spc. Mike Pryor, USA LEBANON /GRENADA AUGUST 24, 1982 — JULY 31, 1984PANAMA DECEMBER 20, 1989 — JANUARY 31, 1990GULF WAR /AFGHANISTAN /IRAQ /LYBIA /IRAN AUGUST 2, 1990 — TODAY*The War Fronts: Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq 45 Raymond Road | P.O. Box 370160 | West Hartford, CT 06137860.233.9029 | www.post96.org @AmericanLegionPost96H-V P The American Legion
15W T - H HHayes-Velhage Post 96The American LegionW H, CServing our Veterans and Community Since 1922Hayes-Velhage Post 96The American LegionW H, CServing our Veterans and Community Since 1922Scott Francis BiancoLance Corporal, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division II Expeditionary Force1987-1991Michael J. McMahonU.S. Amy, Lieutenant Colonel, Commander 3rd Squadron, 4th U.S. Calvary Regiment, 25th Infantry Division , Company B 193rd Aviation Intermediate Maintenance 1963-2004Eric T. PaliwodaU.S. Army, 4th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division1997-2004Lawrence R. PhilipponLance Corporal, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division II Expeditionary Force2003-2005Lieutenant Colonel Michael J. McMahon was the second serviceman with ties to West Hartford to die during the Global War on Terrorism. A 19-year Army veteran, McMahon is believed to be one of the highest-ranking Army ocers to be killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, McMahon was raised in West Hartford. The son of retired Lt. Col. Dennis McMahon and Elizabeth McMahon, he received a congressional nomination to attend West Point Academy. After graduating in 1985, he was commissioned in the aviation branch. He and his wife, Jeanette, also a lieutenant colonel, had three children.McMahon led the 3rd Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry after having served in various capacities at home and in Europe and Korea. He commanded “Task Force Saber” in Afghanistan, responsible for provincial reconstruction teams supporting security and reconstruction eorts in the cities of Herat and Farah. He died when an aircraft transporting troops crashed into a mountain ridge in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.Lance Corporal Lawrence Philippon, known for his classic Marine stature and bearing, was chosen while still in basic training for the Marine Corps Color Guard, for which he carried the Marine flag at ceremonies including President Ronald W. Reagan’s funeral in 2004. But his real desire was for the action of the front lines.“He’d been begging them for a while. Even though he enjoyed the color guard, he really wanted to be in Iraq,” said his father, Ray Philippon, a former Army ocer.The standout Conard High School hockey goalie and Marine rifleman died May 8, 2005 while fighting insurgents in western Iraq. 45 Raymond Road | P.O. Box 370160 | West Hartford, CT 06137860.233.9029 | www.post96.org @AmericanLegionPost96H-V P The American LegionCorporal Scott F. Bianco lived in West Hartford until the age of 7. Corporal Bianco graduated from Edwardsville High School, Edwardsville, Illinois, in December of 1987 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on the same day. After boot camp, he trained with the engineering corps and was then assigned to the 1st Marine Division, 1st Landing Battalion in 1990 and deployed to Saudia Arabia.On February 17, 1991, during the grueling Forward Logistic Base set up before Operation Desert Storm, Corporal Bianco’s forklift toppled from a pier and trapped him underwater. Corporal Bianco was the only West Hartford serviceman to die during the Persian Gulf War.Captain Eric T. Paliwoda graduated from West Hartford’s Conard High School in 1993, where he was an exceptional student and an All-State and All-American honored basketball player. Eric entered West Point Military Academy in 1993 and over his four years he was a member of Army’s Division I Basketball and Track & Field teams. Following graduation and his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, Eric served as both a Platoon Leader at Fort Hood, TX, and an Executive Ocer for an Engineering Battalion. At Fort Carson, CO he was the Battalion Personnel Ocer and Assistant Brigade Engineer for the 3rd Engineering Battalion. Paliwoda was the first serviceman to die during the Global War on Terrorism. He died of mortar wounds when his command post went under fire in Balad, Iraq.Over the course of his career, Eric was awarded both the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal twice, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. He received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star posthumously.Photo: Ronni Newton | We-Ha.com Scott F. BiancoMichael J. McMahonEric T. PaliwodaLawrence R. PhilipponWEST HARTFORD, CT CASUALTY LISTGULF WAR/AFGHANISTAN/IRAQFallenheroesmemorial.com | legacy.com |courant.com | http://archives.starbulletin.com| US Army medals, Jason Mark Schulz; The Bronze Star and Purple Heart, Robert Carner | Dreamstime.comThree-Star General Returns to West Hartfordto Honor the Fallen on Memorial Day“To come back and see this memorial in memory of those who not only have fallen over the years, but also have served, is truly heartwarming. … those who made the ultimate sacrice inscribed in the Wall of Peace, but also those who have served our nation reected in the Walk of Remembrance. Last week I visited Arlington [National Cemetery] to pay respects to a young Marine from West Hartford, Lance Corporal Larry Philippon. Larry’s is the last name on the wall... I wanted him to know that we remember. If you visit, it’s Section 60, headstone 8181...and here today in this tribute to those sons and daughters of West Hartford who have served and fallen, we remember.”LtGeneral Edward J. BantaU.S. Marine Corps, Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, 1986 - Present(From his keynote address at the West Hartford Veterans Memorial ceremony, May 30, 2022)Poster: Laurel Grapic Design
16Hayes-Velhage Post 96West Hartford, CTHayes-Velhage Post 96West Hartford, CTThe March ContinuesThe March ContinuesPost 96 Commander Oers a Challenge to West Hartford ResidentsFor another 100 years, Post 96 pledges to continue to contribute to the character and core values that make West Hartford a great community. We are prepared to expand vital programs that honor our veterans, promote national and local security, patriotism, and mentor youth. All military veterans are welcome to become members! Scan the code to join now, or visit www.post96.org for more details.45 Raymond Road | P.O. Box 370160 | West Hartford, CT 06137860.233.9029 | www.post96.org @AmericanLegionPost96CAPT Heidi-Anne Aloise MooneyPost Commander 2022-2023Marine Corps Combat Engineer Ocer, 9th ESB Okinawa, Japan, 3rd MAW MCAS El Toro, Tustin and Miramar, CAAmerican Legion Post 96 Salutes West Hartford Class of 2022 Military Inductees May 31, 2022Poster: Laurel Grapic DesignTalk to us: 860-233-9029 or send us an email: alpost96@comcast.netWill you stand up and make a dierence with us?