Local Veterans Day events honor service members
Nov. 10—Race honors those who served
More than 275 people took part in the CT Veterans Day Race on Sunday at Patriots Park in Coventry, which honored those who served. A highlight was the recognition of Lyman Gibbs of Willimantic, 100, a Purple Heart recipient who served from 1943-46 with the 302nd Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division, under Gen. George Patton at the Battle of the Bulge. More than 500 participants and spectators sung a very loud and spirited Happy Birthday to celebrate Gibbs' 100th birthday.
Since the race began in 2016, more than $70,000 has been donated directly to Connecticut veteran service organizations.
Titan Talk
TOLLAND — Carl Stidsen of Tolland, (Major, USAF, Ret.), will give a free talk on Saturday on the Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program, titled "Life in a Cold War ICBM Site: On the Nuclear Bullseye."
The talk, at 11 a.m. at the Old Tolland County Jail and Museum at 52 Tolland Green, is sponsored by the Tolland Historical Society and the Tolland Veterans Recognition Commission.
A light lunch will follow at the Tolland Military Museum, which is behind the jail and accessible from Route 74. Admission, parking, and lunch are free.
During the Vietnam War-era, Stidsen served as a missile combat crew commander at a Titan II site in Arizona, logging more than 8,000 hours underground during more than 380 nuclear alert tours, which each lasted 24 hours.
Stidsen is the research librarian at the New England Air Museum, has been a pilot for 56 years.
Wreath-laying ceremony
EAST HARTFORD — A wreath-laying ceremony will be held Friday, Veterans Day, at 10:30 a.m. at the World War I memorial on the front lawn of the Raymond Library, Main Street and Central Avenue, rain or shine.
The ceremony will commemorate the veterans of East Hartford from that conflict as well as all veterans, living and deceased.
The program will include representatives from the East Hartford Rochambeau Elms VFW Post 2083, Historical Society of East Hartford, and the East Hartford Public Library.
The library and town offices will be closed Friday.
Tuskegee Airmen
WINDSOR LOCKS — The New England Air Museum will present a rare opportunity Nov. 19 at 6:45 p.m. to hear three Tuskegee Airmen share stories from their service as the first African American fighter pilots during World War II.
"An Evening with Tuskegee Airmen" includes three decorated heroes:
—Ret. Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, 98, who flew 43 combat missions with the 332nd Fighter Group in the European Theater. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after shooting down three enemy aircraft in one day.
—Ret. Lt. Col. George Hardy, who flew 21 combat missions with the 332nd Fighter Group, 45 combat missions as co-pilot of a B-29 "Superfortress" bomber during the Korean War, and 70 missions as the pilot of an AC-119 "Stinger" Gunship in Vietnam.
—Ret. Lt. Col. Enoch "Woody" Woodhouse, paymaster for his fellow Tuskegee Airmen, after his discharge from active duty in the Army Air Corps in 1949, joined the Air Force Reserve and earned his undergraduate degree from Yale in 1952 and, later, a law degree from Boston University. He worked as an attorney for the U.S. State Department, carrying top secret messages.
The evening is a fundraiser for the museum's new and permanent exhibit, "The Tuskegee Airmen: Their Untold Stories," opening in spring 2023. The evening begins with a cocktail hour and tour at 5:30 p.m. To purchase tickets, click on the link: neam.org/products/an-evening-with-tuskegee-airmen
Somers Museum open Sunday
The Somers Historical Museum, 11 Battle St., Somers, will be open Sunday from 1-3 p.m.
Displays of World War II boots, helmets, uniforms, and maps will be featured.
A newly created map of Old West Cemetery on Route 190 in Somers is also on display. The map is the result of five years of work by Corey Haynes. Haynes recorded every stone in the old cemetery by hand.
Encampment
WILLIMANTIC — A Veterans Day encampment and service recognition will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Jillson Square and the Shaboo Stage, 627 Main St.
Re-enactors will share history from all wars, which will be represented in a timeline from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan.
The soldiers will present stories around their campfires, tents, equipment, and vehicles.
Among the groups will be the Vietnam 173 Support Battalion, which will bring a large display; the mounted Second Continental Light Dragoons, authors tent, vendors, museum displays, demonstrations, veterans organizations, musical performances, and food.
Adult admission is $10, free for children. For a schedule of events, go to: AmericaMuseum.org
The event is sponsored by Eastern Connecticut Veterans Community Center, the America Museum, Jillson House, Windham Region Chamber of Commerce, and the Town of Windham.
For more information, email: info@windhamchamber.com
Exercise for free
In recognition of Veterans Day, Planet Fitness will allow veterans and active-duty military personnel to exercise for free at select Connecticut clubs through Tuesday. Former and current military members can also sign up for a Planet Fitness membership for $0 down with no commitment and first month free through Nov. 30.
For more information, visit: planetfitness.com
