Three southeastern Connecticut residents to be inducted into Veterans Hall of Fame
Mar. 14—Three locals will be inducted into the state's Veterans Hall of Fame, which recognizes distinguished Connecticut veterans who have made significant contributions to their communities after leaving the military.
The Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs announced the 2021 inductees in a news release Friday. A ceremony is expected to be held later this spring or early summer, when officials hope it will be safer to gather, given the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are the inductees from southeastern Connecticut:
Mirca Reyes, 56, Groton, U.S. Navy
Mirca Reyes, the veteran transitional housing case manager at the New London Homeless Hospitality Center, served in the Navy during the 1980s as a boatswain's mate on the submarine tender USS Dixon (AS-37). She worked as a crane operator on the Dixon, loading torpedos, food and other supplies onto U.S. Navy submarines.
Reyes left active duty in 1987 due to a disability, and joined the Navy reserves. Her current job — helping to house homeless veterans — "keeps me connected to military," she said.
In the last year, Reyes housed more than 30 vets in the region. She's known for her dedication to her clients, whom she's often seen laughing and talking with for hours on end, and for answering their calls at all hours of the day.
Several of Reyes' clients wrote letters of recommendation as part of her nomination to the Hall of Fame, saying she helped them through some of the most difficult times of their lives and made them feel whole again.
"To me, I went to work and I did my job. I can appreciate the award as a recognition of my hard work, but at the end of the day, I just did my job," Reyes said.
She said she felt particularly honored as a female veteran, a population that often doesn't get a lot of recognition. Serendipitously, she said, she got the news on International Women's Day.
Kenneth "K. Robert" Lewis, 67, New London, U.S. Air Force
K. Robert Lewis, an American Legion Department Service officer, is a Vietnam-era veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force. Lewis worked as a technician on air-to-air and air-to-ground missile systems. He was stationed overseas in the United Kingdom for several years.
In his current job, Lewis oversees a staff of four, who help veterans, survivors and dependents obtain benefits they are entitled to through the Veterans Administration.
"Our little office averages $29 million in benefits annually," he said.
A memorable moment came when Lewis successfully advocated for an 89-year-old Korean War veteran to receive his benefits decades after he served, according to his friend, Jack Lynch, who nominated Lewis for the Hall of Fame.
"It's an honor and pleasure to be in a class with a Medal of Honor recipient and four of my friends," Lewis said of the recognition.
Lewis has served in numerous roles in the American Legion since the late 1990s. He has helped advocate for veterans and veterans' issues in the General Assembly and in Congress as the military affairs liaison for then U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons.
Lewis said his interest in helping other vets started while he was working at Electric Boat after getting out of the Air Force. When vets, just out of the military, started working at the submarine builder, Lewis took it upon himself to help them navigate the transition from military to civilian life.
"I tell everybody I'm doing what I would be doing anyways," he said. "I have one of the greatest jobs in the world, helping the vets."
Thomas Eugene Williamson, 76, New London, U.S. Navy
Tom Williamson, a five-time Purple Heart recipient, spent nearly 20 years in the Navy as a corpsman, including several tours to Vietnam. Williamson participated in some of the most major events of the Vietnam war, including the rescue of Lt. Col. Iceal E. Hambleton, an Air Force navigator, whose aircraft was shot down over North Vietnam in April 1972.
