Shelton to host memorial honoring fallen soldiers
SHELTON — A memorial honoring those who died in the global war on terror will be making a stop at Sutter-Terlizzi American Legion Post 16 this month.
Shelton-based Sutter-Terlizzi American Legion Post 16 has announced that the Veterans Athletes United Global War on Terrorism Fallen Heroes Memorial be arriving in the city on May 12.
At 3:45 p.m., the memorial will be escorted by 22 motorcycles from the Shelton Police Department down Meadow Street to Perry Hill and then up Bridgeport Avenue to Shelton Post 16, where it will be assembled.
The memorial will be available for public viewing from 11 a.m. on May 13 until 7 p.m. on May 15.
This 28-foot wide by 6-foot-tall American flag symbolizes the shape of the flag when draped on a fallen service members casket. It is formed of approximately 7,000 dog tags of all those who have fallen in the War on Terror.
There are 50 gold stars honoring all gold star families nationwide. Displayed in front of the flag is a battlefield cross sculpted from mahogany wood by veteran artist Alicia Dietz.
Tags are in alphabetical order ranging from 11SEPT 2001 to 31Dec 2019; thereafter the tags are in chronological order of the date killed in action. As the war continues, they will continue to fill in the blank tags at the end of the flag.
For their memorial flag VAU used the DOD Global War on Terror DMDC Casualty List for all the names of the GWOT fallen heroes. For more information, visit vetsau.com/memorial.
The opening ceremony will be May 13, beginning at 6 p.m. with Amy LaReau Battaglia singing The National Anthem followed by a welcoming address and reading the names of the Valley’s Global War on Terrorism Casualties — Army First Lieutenant Thomas J. Brown of Shelton and Army Sergeant David Travis Friedrich of Naugatuck — as wreaths are placed in their memory followed by a rifle salute and taps.
Brown, born in New Haven on March 13, 1982, was killed in action on Sept. 23, 2008 in Salman Park, Iraq, when his patrol came under small arms fire. Brown graduated from George Mason University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and International Politics and joined the Army in 2005.
Brown’s unit deployed to Iraq on April 3, 2008. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantry Badge posthumously.
The closing ceremonies will be on May 15 at 5 p.m. and will include the reading of the names of the 65 Connecticut Global War on Terrorism Casualties, while Girl Scouts from Troop 60481 place a flag for each casualty in their memory and present a flower to each Gold Star Family in attendance, followed by a rifle salute and taps.
Post 16 will be assisted during closing ceremonies by the 198th Army Band. The band is based in Rochester, N.Y., and is part of the 99th Readiness Division. The soldiers who make up the reserve band are from all over the country and play their instruments in addition to their full-time job.
The 198th Band connects the public to the Army by telling the Army story and honoring our Soldiers and Veterans as musical ambassadors.
Post 16, with financial assistance from the Valley Community Foundation, is bringing the Fallen Heroes Memorial to Shelton to honor the Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines whose names are on the Memorial, as well as the loved ones, and comrades in arms that they left behind, said Mike Kellett of Post 16.
Visitors are urged to carpool if possible.