By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Grand Marshal Gerald “Jerry” Cafferty steered West Haven’s Memorial Day parade Monday morning while riding shotgun in a black Mustang driven by city resident Kevin Gardner.
Cafferty, a decorated Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War in 1970-71, led the more than 40-unit procession of veterans, bands and dignitaries, including Mayor Dorinda Borer and state Attorney General William Tong, along Campbell Avenue.
Despite damp conditions, the parade soldiered on, stepping from Captain Thomas Boulevard north to Center Street, where hundreds of revelers lined the 1 ½-mile route, American flags waving, for the annual patriotic march.
Cafferty, 75, was tapped by the West Haven Veterans Council, which helps the city organize the parade, for his years of service to the military, his fellow vets and his community.
The 90-minute event, in memory of the deceased members of the U.S. armed forces of all wars, is the oldest parade of its kind in southern Connecticut.
The parade featured the Connecticut Army National Guard’s 102nd Army Band, the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums, the East Rock Brass Band, the West Haven High School Band and the Harry M. Bailey Middle School Band.
In addition to veterans groups, the procession showcased the traditional contingent of youth organizations and sports leagues, dance and Scout troupes, fraternal organizations and service clubs, local and state leaders, police officers and firefighters.
It included cheerleaders from the West Haven Seahawks, a fleet of Jeeps from the Connecticut Beach Cruisers, and members of the West Haven High cheerleading and dance teams.
After the parade, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the World War I Armistice Memorial on the Green.
The wreath was laid by Veterans Council Vice President Al Beck Sr. and Treasurer Steve Carney as veterans, including Cafferty, saluted. Retired West Shore fire Lt. Kevin McKeon followed by playing taps.
Rick Spreyer, the mayor’s chief of staff, served as the master of ceremonies, and the West Haven High School Band performed patriotic renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.”
Borer delivered remarks lauding America’s war veterans who made the supreme sacrifice. West Haven Vietnam Veterans member Mark Levine also spoke.