Honoring those who gave everything

WINSTED — While Memorial Day parades in surrounding towns were canceled on Monday, May 30, due to a heavy rain storm, Winsted parade organizer and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 296 Commander Neil Hunt said canceling the parade was never in his mind.“We would have had it in the rain anyway,” Hunt said. “We will never cancel the parade. They never canceled any wars for rain.”By the time the parade kicked off in the early afternoon, the rain had subsided.Veterans, military groups and civic groups marched down Main Street to honor and remember veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice.Hunt served in the Navy during the Vietnam War starting in 1966.“There are a lot of veterans out there,” Hunt said. “If it wasn’t for them, we would not be free to do what we do. I would like people to remember that these young men and women are over there fighting for the country that they love and the principles that they believe in. It is a hard job being away from loved ones and doing whatever they must in a land where they may get shot or blown up at any moment. Many of them come home with scars that they must live with for the rest of their lives, be it mental or physical. They all gave something and some gave all.”In a statement released Monday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy saluted fallen soldiers and, in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code, directed flags to be flown at half staff from sunrise until noon on Memorial Day.“While over the years, Memorial Day has come to mean the unofficial start of summer, it’s important to reflect upon the true meaning of the day — honoring the brave men and women who have given their lives in service to our country,” the governor said. “Over the past decade in Connecticut, we have lost 56 soldiers in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They join the thousands of heroes who, over the course of history, have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our Constitution and the values we hold dear. It’s incumbent upon all of us to honor their legacy and thank them for their service.”