The ceremony will take place at the Connecticut Veterans Memorial in West Hartford at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

Submitted by Town of West Hartford

Photo credit: Ronni Newton 

Command Sergeant Major James Peter M. Matthews, USAR 76^th Operational Response Command, will be the guest speaker at the 2014 Veterans Day Ceremony on Nov. 11, 2014 at 11 a.m. at the Connecticut Veterans Memorial West Hartford.

CSM Matthews has been a member of the United States Army Reserves for over 29 years and has held key noncommissioned officer leadership positions throughout his entire career.

Since entering the US Army Reserves in May 1985, he has served with numerous units including Command Sergeant Major for the 244^thAviation Brigade, 11^th Aviation Command; Division Command Sergeant Major for USAR 76^th Operational Response Command (formally known as USAR Joint and Special Troops Support Command), Fort Douglas, UT, also duel-missioned as Task Force-76, AR-North for Defense in Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) operations.

During his 29 year service career CSM Matthews has made multiple deployments. Some of his deployments and Homeland Security missions include Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and currently Defense CBRNE Response Force, Task Force-76.

CSM Matthews has been awarded numerous military awards and decorations including two Bronze Stars; three Meritorious Service Medals, Army Commendation Medal; and four Army Achievement Medals.

In his civilian life, he is a career firefighter, currently holding the rank of fire lieutenant, of the West Hartford Fire Department, West Hartford, CT.  He is a native of Winsted, CT, where he resides with his wife Leslie and three children.

The Connecticut Veterans Memorial West Hartford is a unique testimonial dedicated to all members of the Armed Services who served the United States beginning with the earliest conflict in our country’s history, the King Philip War, up to the present Global War on Terror.

This Veterans Memorial is a sculptural expression of time and emotion that commemorates the history of all wars. The Memorial is a circular Wall of Peace that salutes those who gave their lives for our country. The wall is constructed of blocks of polished black granite in the form of a circle. At each point along the wall when our Armed Forces went into conflict, the smooth circular wall is violently broken, and the names of the West Hartford veterans who gave their lives during that conflict are engraved on the Wall of Peace.