Command Sergeant Major Paul Vicinus, who is the assistant superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for West Hartford Public Schools, will be the keynote speaker at West Hartford’s Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11.

Submitted

Command Sergeant Major Paul W. Vicinus will be the keynote speaker for the 2018 Veterans Day Ceremony, on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, at 1 p.m., at the Connecticut Veterans Memorial in West Hartford.

In case of rain, the ceremony will be held in the auditorium of First Church of Christ Congregational, 2 South Main St.

CSM Vicinus was born in Bristol, CT, and raised in Plainville, CT. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1992 earning his bachelor’s degree in pure mathematics and later received his master’s in pure mathematics from Trinity College in 1998.

CSM Vicinus entered the Connecticut Army National Guard as an Infantryman in 1989 completing his Basic Training at Fort Benning, GA. His military education has included Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic and Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Courses, and the United States Sergeant Major Academy.

CSM Vicinus assumed his current role of Command Sergeant Major of the 169th CT National Guard on Feb. 16, 2017.

Other duty assignments have included BNCOC Senior Small Group Leader, 2/169th Leadership Regiment from June 2003 to May 2008, First Sergeant, A/1-102nd Infantry from May 2008 to February 2013, and Command Sergeant Major 1-102nd Infantry from February 2014 to February 2017. He deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom as the First Sergeant of Apache Company 1-102nd Infantry from November 2009 to November 2010.

Among his many awards are the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star, and Global War on Terror Service Medal.

CSM Vicinus is the assistant superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for West Hartford Public Schools. He and his wife Joanie have three children and one grandchild.

Florence Lacey. Courtesy photo

The Veterans Day ceremony includes a welcome by Moe Fradette, past post commander of American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96, and an invocation by Deacon James Hickey, USAF, St. Peter Claver Church. The National Anthem will be sung by Florence Lacey, a Broadway performer. “Taps” will be performed by Peter Roe, U.S. Army, American Legion, Hayes-Velhage Post 96. Boy Scout Troop 146 will help lay the memorial wreath.

In addition to the keynote message by Vicinus, the ceremony will also include a speech by West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor.

Three color guards will present: West Hartford Police Department led by Commander Lt. Christopher Chappell, West Hartford Fire Department led by Commander Firefighter Ryan Shea, and American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 led by Commander Rocky Goodwin.

As a special thank you to our veterans, a luncheon will be held at noon at Elmwood Senior Center, on Thursday, Nov. 8, compliments of the American Legion Post 96, the CT Police Work Dog Association, and Elmwood Senior Center.

An RSVP is required. Veterans (of any age) should call the Elmwood Senior Center at 860-561-8180 to reserve a seat. The event will be held in the Ernest St. Jacques Auditorium, 1st floor, from noon to 2 p.m. The guest speaker is Thomas Saadi, Commissioner of the State Department. of Veterans Affairs. The entrance to the facility is on Burgoyne Street which intersects with South Quaker Lane.

About the Connecticut Veterans Memorial

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.

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