By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
A contingent of veterans and their families, together with city and state leaders and members of West Haven’s Veterans Council and Surfside Veterans, gathered in the heart of Bradley Point Park to pay tribute to Veterans Day on Tuesday morning.
Mayor Dorinda Borer, standing on the Veterans Walk of Honor overlooking Long Island Sound, delivered poignant remarks to the bundled-up crowd of mostly veterans, many wearing black baseball caps referencing their military assignments in gold lettering.
“We honor the past by remembering all who served, we recognize the present by supporting our veterans, and we look to the future by instilling the values of service and sacrifice in the next generation,” said Borer, speaking in front of a black granite memorial in commemoration of Army Pfc. William A. Soderman, who received the Medal of Honor in World War II.
“West Haven has long been a home for all veterans,” the mayor said. “The Veterans Walk of Honor, with its many engraved bricks, stands as a testament to our community’s deep respect. The West Haven VA Medical Center provides the care our veterans deserve, and the West Haven Veterans Museum ensures our children and grandchildren learn of their bravery.”
The bitter cold ceremony featured patriotic remarks by Veterans Council President Dave Ricci, a Marine Corps vet of the Vietnam War and the president of West Haven Vietnam Veterans Inc.
“Your mind is like a parachute,” Ricci said. “It only functions when it’s open. God bless West Haven, and God bless the United States.”
The ceremony also included remarks by West Haven Municipal Veterans Rep. Rich Deso, who read “Swaying in the Breeze,” a poem written by his partner, city resident Nancy Herbert Denman. Deso, a Navy vet, served aboard the submarine USS Groton in the Mediterranean Sea during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He is the president of Surfside Veterans.
The half-hour program commenced with a procession of local and state officials and West Haven first responders led by the West Haven Police Honor Guard and followed with a flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard, composed of members of the West Haven Fire Department, the West Shore Fire Department and the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown.
The procession consisted of police brass and West Haven, West Shore and Allingtown fire chiefs, officers and firefighters. It also included West Haven Democratic Rep. Bill Heffernan, 4th District Councilman Gary Donovan, 6th District Councilwoman Dawn Callahan, Secretary Herb Hill of the First Fire Taxation District’s Board of Fire Commissioners and Commissioner Al Lepper of West Shore’s Board of Fire Commissioners.
City Clerk John W. Lewis served as the master of ceremonies.
The program included a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Sophia Martineau and an opening prayer by the Rev. Paul Bronson, the outreach pastor of Vertical Church of West Haven.
West Haven fire Lt. Gerald Barosy, an Army veteran who served in Bosnia in 2003-04, then rang the department’s chrome bell 11 times at 11 a.m. in observance of Veterans Day. Residents and members of the University of New Haven baseball team bowed their heads as Barosy tolled the bell.
Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is celebrated on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, marking the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918.
The event also included a wreath-laying at the base of the William A. Soderman Memorial by Marine Corps veterans Rick Foley and Howie Thomas, members of West Haven Vietnam Veterans.
After the laying, Borer led a procession to the nearby Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where she dedicated the addition of two granite panels, a project shepherded by West Haven Vietnam Veterans.
“This expansion project is born from a simple but powerful principle: that every veteran who served deserves to be recognized,” Borer said. “Thanks to the tireless work of our West Haven Vietnam Veterans organization, we have etched 35 more names into this hallowed stone.”
“(This memorial) is a long-lasting tribute to veterans everywhere,” Ricci said.
In June 2023, the West Haven Vietnam Memorial Inc. Committee launched a campaign to recognize additional current and former city residents who served in-country during the Vietnam War by inscribing their names on the new panels.
“The newly engraved names on these panels are a beacon of our city’s promise that their legacy will endure for generations to come,” said Borer, who pointed out that the city is working to declare Bradley Point as a federally historic landmark.
The dedication also included remarks by Ricci and West Haven Vietnam Veterans Treasurer Steve Carney, an Army vet.
Carney thanked Borer, retired city Human Resources Commissioner Beth A. Sabo, who is now a volunteer in the mayor’s office, and former Mayor Nancy R. Rossi for supporting the addition of the panels, paid for by American Rescue Plan Act funds. He also thanked the memorial committee, the construction team and his son, West Haven ARPA Committee Chairman Ken Carney, who oversaw the project from conception to completion.
The absolute black granite panels, which bookend the memorial, were installed by project coordinator Milestone Construction Services LLC of New Haven, which also prepared the site. The panels were procured by Connecticut Stone of Milford, and the inscriptions were crafted by the memorial’s original engraver, Shelley Bros. Monuments of Guilford.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial features a black granite wall inscribed with the names of those from West Haven who served or gave their lives in Vietnam from 1959 to 1975, along with three white flagpoles draped with the American, Connecticut and prisoner-of-war flags.
The memorial, dedicated Nov. 12, 2003, also includes a black granite map of the four battle districts of Vietnam bearing the inscription “All Gave Some, Some Gave All,” as well as five bronze insignia markers atop black granite posts representing each branch of the U.S. armed forces.
The Veterans Day event concluded with a closing prayer by Bronson and taps played by West Haven’s Art Gilbert.
To coincide with the solemn ceremony, the Veterans Council kicked off Phase 18 of its popular Brick Campaign.
In November 2006, the council began the first of 18 campaigns selling bricks to memorialize veterans on the 100-yard Walk of Honor between the Soderman and Vietnam memorials.
The bricks, which cost $75, have charcoal lettering for personalized messages.
About 3,100 bricks have been installed to date, including 72 for Phase 17, which was dedicated May 24.
Applications are due March 13, 2026, and are available at https://www.cityofwesthaven.com/DocumentCenter/View/7814/Veterans-Brick-Campaign-Application-2026-PDF and in the mayor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St. For details, call (203 -937-3510.
This year, Rose & I spent Veteran’s Day in England where they celebrate Armistice Day. Armistice Day in England is a big deal & veterans from all over the Commonwealth attended. I’m glad we were able to see how Europe celebrates Armistice Day. Next year, I will once again celebrate Veteran’s Day in West Haven.