Andrew Clapsaddle, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who is principal of Sedgwick Middle School, will be the guest speaker at West Hartford’s Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11.

Submitted

Sedgwick Middle School Principal Andrew Clapsaddle will be the guest speaker for the 2017 Veterans Day ceremony, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, 11 a.m., at the Connecticut Veterans Memorial in West Hartford.

Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, he joined the Marine Corps after completing high school and served four years as a combat photographer. He received an honorable discharge after his four years of service. His father and older brother served in the Army and Marine Corps respectively.

Principal Clapsaddle received his bachelor’s degree from Towson University and master’s degree from California State University, San Marcos. He has been a classroom teacher in New York and California and an assistant principal in California and Connecticut at the middle and high school levels. He currently serves as the principal of Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford.

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.

The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the Four Pillars of a strong National Security, Veterans Affairs, Americanism, and Youth Programs. With a current membership of over 2 million wartime veterans, Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation. The American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 of West Hartford has been serving our Veterans and the community for 95 years. Further information is available on the Post’s website at www.post96.org or phone the Post at 860-233-9029.