Tag Archives: Veterans Day 2018

Pics Of The Day #573

Posted on November 11, 2018 | 9 comments

Westport photographer Ted Horowitz captured these moving scenes this afternoon, at the Veterans Day ceremony at Town Hall:

 

(All photos/copyright Ted Horowtiz)

 

 

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Honoring Our Vets: Y’s Men Who Were There

Posted on November 9, 2018 | 4 comments

In 2002, Bruce Allen and Jack Schwartz contacted Jim Honeycutt.

Members of the very active, wide-ranging Y’s Men retirees’ group, they asked the Staples High School media instructor for help with a project.

Both had served in the military during World War II. They wanted to produce a video, filled with memories and reflections of 18 WWII combat veterans. Already, the ranks of service members from that war were thinnning.

His father was in the navy. Honeycutt was happy to help.

Plaques, memorials and a statue fill Westport’s Veterans Green, across from Town Hall.

As he interviewed the nearly 2 dozen veterans, Honeycutt was stunned. One man had waved at a low-flying airplane. The pilot waved back. Then he torpedoed a battleship in Pearl Harbor.

Schwartz himself bombed Japan, at the same time an atomic bomb was dropped to the north. He saw the sky filled with colors.

“The stories are so important to remember,” Honeycutt says.

So earlier this year — now retired from teaching — he took the DVD, re-edited it, and uploaded the finished product to his personal YouTube channel.

There’s almost 3 hours of content. As Veterans Day approaches, Honeycutt invites “06880” readers to honor all who served America by hearing their stories. Just click below.

 

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Posted in History, Media, People, Staples HS

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Special Veterans Day Ceremony Set

Posted on November 4, 2018 | 1 comment

Many American holidays that should be celebrated on the same day every year — Martin Luther King Day, Columbus Day, Presidents Day (formerly George Washington’s birthday) — have been shifted to Mondays. Who can resist a 3-day weekend?

But Veterans Day is sacrosanct. The brutal World War I ended at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month. That’s why, every November 11, we honor all our veterans.

This year is extra special. The armistice was signed in 1918 — exactly 100 years ago.

Because Veterans Day often falls on a weekday — and it’s business as usual for most businesses — Westport’s annual Town Hall ceremony seldom draws a crowd.

The dougbhoy statue in Veterans Green honors World War I service members. It’s directly opposite Town Hall, where Veterans Day services take place. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)

But 2018 is different. November 11 is next Sunday. Between that and the centennial of The Great War’s end, there’s no reason the auditorium can’t be filled.

The Westport Community Band starts things off at 1:30 p.m., playing World War I songs. Brief remarks begin at 2 p.m. Jon Nealon — a Staples High School senior who enters an ROTC program next year — will deliver the always-insightful student address.

The American Legion — which is revitalizing its Westport post — will be there, enlisting members.

Veterans Day is an often overlooked American holiday. Sunday, November 11 is a chance to give it — and our veterans — the honor they deserve.

 

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