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2023 Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshall Major Gerald Gorss In 1922 thirty four veterans of the World War formed Hayes Velhage Post 96 The American Legion The charter members completed construction of the Post Home on Memorial Road in 1929 As events turned out the world had not been made altogether safe for democracy by the sacrifice of those who served A generation later West Hartford youth again was called to take up arms and 139 men and 1 woman were to give their lives for their country in World War II When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor a West Hartford pilot Gordon Sterling rose with others from Wheeler Field to challenge the enemy In this first blaze of the conflict a West Hartford man made the final sacrifice and the town s major sports field Sterling Field is named to honor his memory The return to West Hartford of thousand of veterans from World War II drove the membership rolls of Hayes Velhage Post 96 to record numbers The World War I veterans gradually passed the baton of leadership to this new generation of veterans The Post welcomed veterans from the Korean War the Vietnam War Lebanon Grenada Panama and the Gulf Wars and the Global War on Terrorism that started when we were attacked on September 11 2001 A native of West Hartford Major Gorss is a graduate of Conard High School where he earned varsity letters in soccer wrestling and lacrosse and is a proud recipient of the Eagle Scout award with Troop 146 of West Hartford In 2022 Hayes Velhage Post 96 celebrated its Centennial as an American Legion Post 100 years serving veterans Major Gorss served as an active duty Army Officer for more than a decade Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Aviation Branch and was assigned to Flight School at Fort Rucker Alabama After graduating from flight school as an Honor Graduate of his class he was assigned to the prestigious 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell Kentucky where he served in command and staff assignments from Platoon Leader through Troop Commander He deployed to northeastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and helped test and author the Army s innovative concepts regarding manned unmanned aviation teaming He is the second ever commander of the first Unmanned Aerial Surveillance UAS Troop within a combat aviation brigade and deployed to a combat theater 2 7

Memorial Day 2023 Quincy S Abbot Army Robert L Adams Air Force Charles W Austin Jr Army Gary D Bent Army John A Berman Army Nat Guard Martin M Berman M D Army Fred Bilak Navy James H Blanco Air Force Nat Guard Anthony J Bosco Army Air Force Robert I Brockert Navy Kevin S Brownell Army Harold C Buckingham Army Donald Cagenello Air Force Robert W Canny Army Edward E Case Army Samuel Cohen Navy James Concannon Army Charles P Condon Army Glenn L Cronin Army John G Cronin Army James H Crowley Jr Navy James W Cunningham Navy William Dawson Navy Lawrence E Devine Army David K Dodd Navy Vincent J Dowling Sr Army Raymond Duksa Jr Coast Guard James E Elsner Air Force Guard Melvin Feldman Army Leonard M Feldstein Army Wayne E Ferguson Marines William M Fisher Army Dwight W Foote Jr Navy Brendan M Fox Army Joseph Glasser Army Air Corps Louis H Goldberg Robert S Gromak Marines Allan J Grotheer Army William D Haberman CT Army Nat Guard Clifford H Hamilton Air Force Thomas Hannigan Jr Marines Roger W Hough Army Arthur W Hultman Coast Guard Lawrence S Hurwit Army Robert O Hurwitz Navy Vincent J Irwin III Army Alexander A Jackowski Jr Army James J Joy Nicholas Klym Army Jacob Jack Krikorian Army Phillip D Laby Navy Corpsman Barry L Levy Marines Nat Guard Paul D Liebig Army Robert Lowney Air Force Paul D Mangiafico Navy Norman M Mann M D Army William N Martin Army Edward Mayes Rev Army Edward J McAlenney Jr Army Robert T McKone Navy Dennis R McMahon Jr Army Robert H Metcalf James A Meuse Army Daniel F Micali Army Air Nat Guard Bennett Miller Army Edward F Monahan Army 4 Remembering Our Veterans Who passed away since Memorial Day 2022 Carl F Morisse Jr Army John P Murdza Navy Manny Myerson M D Army James C Nally Marines Joseph P Namnoum Jr Army Thomas F Navin Jr Army Robert F Neal Army Derek Newfield William Newman Navy Germain D Newton J D Army Stephen Osit CT Air Nat Guard Justin J Ostro Merchant Marines Logen R Pare Army Marvin Peck Army Medic Leonard R Perlman Air Force Lewis Perrone Army Air Corps Daniel A Petronella Army Peter E Polotnianka Coast Guard Thomas R Preston Jr Navy Barbara M Pulito Kinghorn Marines John N Ray Marines Christian M Roby Navy Kenneth F Roche Army Gerard Rosa Army Robert M Rowlson Navy Richard W Russell Sr Air Force Daniel R Schaefer Navy Robert M Schor Army Shepard Schwartz Karl G Schweiger Air Force Herbert Shedroff Navy Nathan Shor Army Air Corps Robert Skenderian Edward A Slye Air Force Jean Claude Soucy Army James H Strickland CT Air Guard Robert E Strom Air Force Daniel F Sullivan Army Elliott B Sweet M D Army Air Corps Joseph W Tambutto Army Richard L Tingley Air Force Anthony J Toland Jr Navy Russell E Tweeddale Marines Steven P Vandermark Air Force Gordon B Wall Army Patrick J Walsh Navy Thomas J Walsh Jr Marines William D Ward Air Force Christopher J White Navy Donald E Wild Army Steven L Winick Air Force Dale E Wolfe Marines Andrew A Wuskell Army 5

The Hayes Velhage Post West Hartford CT Serving Veterans and Community for 100 Years When our country entered the Great War in 1917 314 young men from West Hartford answered their country s call to service and went off to war in France Twenty three of these young men did not come back Of these two have come to symbolize the rest Waldo C Hayes and Francis B Velhage for whom our Post is named Waldo C Hayes Following troop command Major Gorss was selected to return to the United States Military Academy on the staff and faculty as a Tactical Officer and primary trainer and leader developer to Cadets within the Corps of Cadets at West Point Later he served as the Regimental Executive Officer and then Chief of Plans to the Commandant of Cadets and the United States Corps of Cadets He worked alongside Academy leaders to help educate train and inspire cadets for commissioned service as officers in the Army and shape the day to day operations of the Corps In 2020 Major Gorss transitioned from active duty to the United States Army Reserve serving as an Assistant Professor of Military Science for the Reserve Officer Training Corps Battalion at Boston College and Northeastern University Today he serves as a Military Academy Liaison Officer responsible for recruiting and assessing high school students for admission to West Point Attaining the rank of Major he is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal for leadership and excellence in a combat zone two Meritorious Service Medals for leadership and two Air Medals for excellence in the performance of flight duties as a pilot in combat He is a Pilot In Command and Air Mission Commander with over 1000 flight hours as a rated OH 58 Kiowa Warrior Cavalry Scout Pilot He holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology and Leadership from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina Frances B Velhage Of these two symbolic casualties Hayes was born in Avon but grew up on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford A basketball star at Hall High School he worked in M J Burnham s Grocery Store and belonged to Troop B at the West Hartford Armory He was one of the first to go overseas He died on October 23 1918 from wounds received in enemy action A week after the Armistice when his family was expecting a cable from him he saying he was safe they received instead the terse telegram from the War Department We regret to inform you From the other end of town came Frank Velhage who grew up on his grandfather s Oakwood Avenue farm When war came he volunteered for the Navy serving on the battleship USS South Carolina BB 26 In a shipboard accident Frank Velhage was badly crushed and died in the Philadelphia Naval Hospital 6 3

REMEMBER ME A Soldier s Prayer REMEMBER ME A Soldier s Prayer O love ones I am but a spirit now Separated from you By a moment s time and a little space I was born of this Earth which you now walk upon Precious Earth And was returned to this Earth Precious Earth I endured the horrors of war Until my fate found me As you gaze upon the Heavens Remember Me And embrace your cherished freedom Always And Forever Amen In loving memory of Alfred Stemmermann Pvt 395 Inf Regt 99 Div by Vincent Stryeski West Hartford MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY MAY 29 2023 Welcome Invocation National Anthem Grand Marshall Connecticut State Senator West Hartford Mayor Heidi Anne Mooney Commander American Legion Hayes Velhage Post 96 Deacon Robert Kiley Church of St Peter Claver Ilana Brown Hall High School Major Gerald Gorss US Army Derek Slap Shari Cantor Placement of Memorial Wreath TAPS Thomas Tamborello Noble Conard High School Sophie Barnes Bristow Middle School