West Hartford’s annual Veterans Day ceremony was held on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford held its annual ceremony honored veterans on Wednesday, Nov. 11 in two parts – the laying of a wreath at the Veterans Memorial at Farmington Avenue and North Main Street followed by a program in the Town Hall Auditorium.

Hosted by American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 along with the Town of West Hartford, the ceremony included color guards from the town’s police and fire departments along with Post 96.

James Caley, Commander of West Hartford’s American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96, welcomed veterans and other community members who were in attendance, expressing gratitude to all men and women who have served in the country’s armed forces, and thanking their families for their support.

Patrick Nelligan, a retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 with the U.S. Army Reserve, was the keynote speaker. An entrepreneur, inventor, healthcare-technology professional, and community advocate, he spent 42 years in the Army, beginning in 1982, straight out of high school, rising through the rank from an Field Artillery Soldier to Chief Warrant Officer 5. He served in Germany, Honduras, Guatemala, and Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and ultimately became the 8th Command Chief Warrant Officer of the U.S. Army Reserve, the command’s senior warrant-officer leadership role. He is currently employed by the Veterans Administration in Newington as the Lead Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist.

Nelligan spoke about the bonds, the friendships formed,”this selfless service that all of us who have served have brought into it.” Veterans are willing to lay down their lives to “accomplish the mission,” he said, and the self-service also translates into being a teammate and taking that extra step in caring for those in the community.

Nelligan also addressed the tragic problem of veterans taking their own lives after their service ends – officially reported as 22 veterans per day. He said that number is understated and is more like 53 per day. “And why we can’t fix this is beyond me. But that’s where all the veterans have to come together and demand more,” he said, to address the complex issue of members of the military losing their “tribe” when their service ends.

He closed with words from the Veterans Creed, that he had heard spoken by retired Army Four-Star General George Casey who advocates for its principles: “I am an American Veteran. I proudly served my country. I live the values I learned in the military. I continue to serve my community, my country, and my fellow veterans. I maintain my physical and mental discipline. I continue to lead and improve. I make a difference. I honor and remember my fallen comrades.”

State Sen. Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) noted that Veterans Day closely follows Election Day, “which is all about highlighting our differences.” After Election Day, “we have to get out of our tribal spirit, because that has a time and a place, but now we have got to come together.”

Celebrating veterans is the “perfect and powerful reminder,” Slap said. “For us it is a lesson in what sacrificing is all about and about coming together, and really figuring out how to prioritize what’s super important.”

Veterans played a crucial role in the most recent election, Slap said, including a record number of 176,000 veterans working at polling places throughout the country, an all-time high of 258 veterans who ran for Congress, and a record 10 female veterans elected to Congress.

“I think it matters … that the public believes that service to our country, being a veteran, is an attribute for people who are running for office,” Slap said. And while the Iran War is very unpopular, the approval rating for members of the military is high, at least 75%. “I think that it is remarkable and important that we never confuse those two things,” he said, and be sure to give military members a hero’s welcome when they return home.

“Election Day is about exercising our freedom, and Veterans Day is about honoring those who give us that freedom,” Slap said.

After thanking all those in attendance, Mayor Shari Cantor welcomed West Hartford resident Ben Cooper, who will turn 105 in December, and is a former combat medic with the infantry division that liberated the Dachau concentration camp. Cooper, who has regularly attended Veterans Day ceremonies, was in the audience and Cantor said he has been a dear friend, and someone whom she considers a hero who has “seen the worst of humanity and [has] faith in the best of humanity.”

Cantor said that while Veterans Day has always been meaningful to her and a chance to express gratitude for service and sacrifice and reflect on our freedoms, “this year I find myself thinking about Veterans Day a little differently and a bit more personally.”

After her 98-year-old mother passed away this summer, Cantor said she has been sorting through her home, through nearly a century of memories of someone who never threw anything out, and has found some extraordinary treasures.

“Among them were my father’s dog tags from World War II, and records of my grandfather’s service during World War I. Finding these pieces of our family’s history gave me a new appreciation for what my father and grandfather experienced, and the generations who served alongside them,” Cantor said, holding up the dog tags as well as a photo of her grandfather dated 1918.

Her father served as a young man, long before she was born, and her grandfather was a Polish immigrant, serving his new country even before he became a citizen. “Both of them, believing in the promise of America, and willing to serve and defend [the] country. … These were two generations, two world wars, two very different moments in our history, yet both answered a call to serve something larger than themselves.”

Those who serve take an oath to protect the country and its principles, “to support and defend the constitution of the United States,” she said, including the freedom to vote and to disagree with the government, which millions did on Election Day last week. “And one of the most meaningful ways we can honor our veterans is through the way we exercise those freedoms ourselves.”

Cantor said her father’s dog tags are “reminders of generations who came before us, of what they endured, what they protected, and what they hoped to leave behind.”

She thanked all veterans for their service, courage and commitment, and for “reminding us that America is not simply something we inherit. It is something we are entrusted to protect, strengthen, and pass on. May we always be worthy of that responsibility.”

The ceremony was also attended by West Hartford Town Council members Tiffani McGinnis (who was elected as state Representative for the 18th District), Barry Walters, Lisa Lazarus, and John Lyons; leadership and members of the West Hartford Police Department and West Hartford Fire Department, Town Manager Rick Ledwith, and Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus. The audience included other town staff, veterans, and members of the community.

Pastor Dana Hallenbeck, who gave the invocation and benediction, also shared a few additional thoughts, including that the message on the doors of Town Hall that said town offices were closed “due to” Veterans Day really should say “in honor of Veterans.” He added, “I hope and pray with my whole hear that we never, ever forget the sacrifice of those who served.” In his benediction, Hallenbeck asked the crowd to make the American Sign Language sign for “I love you.”

Conard High School senior Ellen Hill sang the National Anthem, and Conard junior Lucas French sounded TAPS to conclude the ceremony.

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