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WILTON – Twenty or 25 people gathered together to thank veterans for their service with prayers, a patriotic song and by placing a wreath at the foot of the Civil War memorial at the village center.
Veteran Urban West of American Legion Post 117 carried a wreath made of cedar-green cuttings to the tall granite-gray memorial and carefully placed it as the crowd stood silently watching. The cold wind pushed a few pellets of snow across Main Street as a reminder winter is not far off as car and truck motors stirred a sound no one seemed to notice.
Local pastors brought prayers asking that soldiers keep safe, My Country Tis of Thee was sung to end with the words “let freedom ring!” Rev. Doug Dunlap pastor of the Wilton Congregational Church who helped organize the observance, said he hoped this tradition would continue from now on.
“It’s been sometime since a Veteran’s Day observance was held here,” he said.
A few brought American flags to hold in the gathering’s loosely formedvets_wilton570.jpg circle of people. Army Col. Michael Backus of Wilton said, “Thank you to the families out there who continue to support us.”
Some brought flowers that would be delivered to area veterans and their families after the observance was over.
Meanwhile, in the Walmart parking lot, veterans gathered to hear a variety of musical selections and presentations in a ceremony to honor military service. Wilton and Farmington Fire Department fire trucks were used to hoist a massive American flag into the air, and a National Guard wrecker was on display.
