Veterans Locally Honored Today & Veteran's Park Project Update

Wreaths laid at Veteran's Cementary today to honor
the fallen.

The Middletown Insider would like to thank all the brave men and women who fought for freedom for this country. Sunday is Veterans’ Day. Today is a day to honor them, their sacrifices, and patriotism in this country. Let us never, ever forget the service of veterans and what that means.

Veterans’ organizations of Middletown held at commemorative ceremonies Sunday, November 11, and at the State Veterans Cemetery on Bow Lane at 2pm.

Local and state dignitaries gave blessings and speeches about the meaning of commemorating veterans.
The Middletown Corale sang the National Anthem and later in the ceremony fallen heroes were commemorated by the playing of Taps. 

Veterans gathered today at the ceremony.

State Veteran's Affairs Commissioner Linda Swartz gave powerful speech asking those present to not only remember the soldiers who had fallen in battle, but those who were plagued by disability both in the form of physical handicaps, mental trauma such as PTSD, and the lasting effects of Agent Orange exposure after combat as well. Swartz asked the crowd to also include in their personal reflections and prayers all soldiers missing in action, and those who had taken their own lives because of trauma experienced as a result their military service.
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Middletown currently has a project in the works to overhaul Veteran's Park. The project will include the Trees of Honor Memorial project which will honor fallen Connecticut soldiers who had lost their lives in the recent Wars on Terror.  This tribute project is being funded by Trees of Honor Incorporated. Councilman Todd Berch (D) who had originally proposed a dog park at Tynan Park in Middletown,which was voted down by the Planning and Zoning Commission, is advocating for the theoretical project's proposed relocation to Veteran's Park. Ultimately, the Common Council will have the final say as to if and where a dog park will be created. A dog park is not in the City's budgeted plan,according to Berch's previous statements to media and before the P&Z Commission, the dog park would be funded by donations. 
The Veteran's Museum temporarily housed at The City of Middletown has plans to build a new Veteran's Museum to replace the annex modular building currently located on the Eckersley Hall property (which just passed referendum to become the new & long awaited Senior Center) to be located at Veteran's Park. The Veteran's Museum temporarily housed in the annex modular building on the Eckersley Hall property will be moved to a new facility to be built at Vet's Park according to the landscape plan done showing the Trees of Honor Memorial.