Members of the Orange-based Connecticut Air National Guard’s 103rd Air Control Squadron march up the crowded Campbell Avenue parade route.
By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Vietnam veteran George “Butch” Treat led the city’s Memorial Day parade as grand marshal, guiding the more than 50-unit procession of veterans, bands and dignitaries, including Mayor Dorinda Borer, along Campbell Avenue on May 25.
The procession stepped from Captain Thomas Boulevard north to Center Street, where thousands of revelers thronged the nearly 2-mile route, American flags waving, for the annual patriotic march.
The parade, which city officials pushed back from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. because of rain, was a remarkable success thanks to the largest crowd of Westies in recent memory.
Treat, 78, 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.
He is a lifetime member of the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans.
The 90-minute parade, 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 procession featured the West Haven High School, Bailey Middle School and Carrigan Intermediate School marching bands, along with the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums and the Infamous Fusion Drill Team & Drum Line.
In addition to the city’s legion of veterans groups, including West Haven Vietnam Veterans and Surfside Veterans, the parade 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 members of the Orange-based Connecticut Air National Guard’s 103rd Air Control Squadron, members of West Haven High’s state championship basketball teams, and members of the school’s cheerleading and dance teams. It also included members of Notre Dame High School’s cheerleading team, cheerleaders from the West Haven Seahawks and members of the Mulkerin School of Irish Dance.
After the parade, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the World War I Armistice Memorial on the Green. The wreath was laid by Treat and West Haven Vietnam Veterans Vice President Al Beck Sr.
Borer delivered remarks lauding America’s war veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. Treat also spoke.
“Just remember what today is — all about the guys over here,” he said, pointing to a group of veterans, “and the guys who didn’t come home.”
The ceremony also included a moment of silence and a patriotic medley performed by the West Haven High School Band, including the “Marines’ Hymn.”