American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 held a military inductee ceremony for the Class of 2024 at the West Hartford Town Hall on Tuesday, May 28.

By Kaily Martinez

As graduation inches closer, students of the Class of 2024 enter a new chapter of their lives. On Tuesday, May 28, the American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 hosted an event to celebrate students who will be involved in the military in some capacity. The classy evening honored students from Hall High School, Conard High School, Northwest Catholic High School, Kingswood Oxford School, and Newington High School, . 

The ceremony began with the posting of colors led by the American Legion Honor Guard and the National Anthem sung by the Hall High School choir. Following the National Anthem was Daniel Pichardo of Newington High School, who recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Monsignor James F. Kinnane, COL (USA retired), gave the invocation.

Succeeding the invocation was the first opening remark segment by Post 96 Commander Heidi-Anne Mooney. Mooney’s speech connected with the parents in the audience. She spoke about surprising her parents by planning to join the military at a young age. The speech instilled confidence within parents to know their children will become better versions of themselves. “They saw me come out the other side a much more confident adult,” Mooney said of her own experience.

“So I will tell you, parents, who are sitting there kind of nervous – let your kid take their path. You raised them up, they’re ready to go,” Mooney said. “You’ll see in a very short amount of time that you’re going to be so proud of them, and they’re going to do great things.”

In concluding her speech, Mooney motivated the honorees by telling them that the oath they had taken would continue to keep the country free. Mooney then listed the advantages of this – such as being able to go to school whether they are female or male, having freedom of religion, and being able to vote.

Command Sergeant Major Paul Vicinus, the superintendent of West Hartford Public Schools, led the second opening remark segment. In his speech, Vicinus read the opening statement of President Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, The Strenuous Life: 

 “I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life. The life of toil and effort, of labor gold strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph.”

Using the opening statement of The Strenuous Life, Vicinus created a heartwarming connection with the military-bound students, reminding them that they will have a path to their own strenuous life. However, Vicinus reminded students that they will be supported on this path because they will not be alone.

“As you begin your path on your strenuous life, know that you do not walk alone. The trail, although faint at times, has been blazed by generations of determined and dedicated men and women who walked miles in your shoes and demonstrated what could be accomplished with teamwork, grit and devotion,” Vicinus said.

After Vicinus’ heartfelt opening remark, the Hall High School choir performed a musical interlude, and there was a brief break for dinner. The keynote speaker, Colonel Michael Cabrey (retired), then took the podium. Cabrey’s speech impacted the audience as he spoke on what being in the military means.

In his speech, Cabrey expressed that enlistees will face challenges in the military; however, those before show somebody can do it. Cabrey reminded students they “all belong to something much bigger” that can only be accomplished through teamwork.

“You’ll find what you thought were close friends before will not come close to the bonds you will make with your brothers and sisters in arms. Where sharing the same grueling training will give you that non-hesitating confidence that you could literally trust your life with these newfound friends,” Cabrey said.

Concluding in his speech, Cabrey gave an example of a time when he worked as a brigade commander. During this time, he would hold a newcomers briefing each month. New soldiers then had the opportunity to meet the chain of command and discuss the training or missions they would do. Cabrey would search for the youngest-ranking private in the room. Upon finding them, he would ask, “How much effort do you think I want from you on a daily basis?”

The answer Cabrey would typically receive was 100% or above, yet that was different from the answer he was looking for. Instead, Cabrey was searching for 85%. Cabrey advised students to save that 15% for going home or in case of a deployment mission. This piece of advice is beneficial for those going into the military or enlistees.

Following Cabrey’s speech, students were called onto the stage to receive cords, sashes, and certificates, depending on their enlistment status.

One of the honorees was Sierrah Hernandez, a student from Conard High School enlisting in the U.S. Army. Hernandez explained that growing up, she always wanted to help people. She realized there was no better way to do that than serving for her country.

Before Hernandez enlisted, she said she had difficulty making this choice. “It was actually a really hard decision. I was kind of nervous about more of the consequences than the gift I’d get from it,” Hernandez said. Meanwhile, after speaking with a few recruiters, Hernandez said it solidified her choice to join the U.S. Army. 

The closing remarks from LaToya Yagaloff, a West Hartford Public Schools Board of Education member, ended the evening beautifully. In her speech, Yagaloff encouraged the honorees to commit to being “a good human” no matter how dark the world may become. 

The honorees are as follows:

• Adam Busi, Hall High School: U.S. Air Force Academy
• Dylan Delgado, Newington High School: U.S. Navy
• Sierrah Hernandez, Conard High School: U.S. Army
• Isabelle Idalencio, Hall High School: U.S. Marine Corps
• Piero Linares, Northwest Catholic High School: Army National Guard
• Evan Wilson, Northwest Catholic High School: Army ROTC
• Connor Mayr, Hall High School: Navy ROTC
• Roman Moray, Kingswood Oxford School: U.S. Air Force Academy
• Daniel Pichardo, Newington High School: U.S. Army
• Jonathan Pincus, Hall High School: Army ROTC
• Jonathon Samid, Conard High School: U.S. Army Reserves

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