Governor M. Jodi Rell together with Rep. Jason Perillo, Rep. Larry Miller and Sen. Dan Debicella announced today that two of the eleven 2009 inductees into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame are from Shelton.
State Representative Richard Belden will be inducted posthumously along with past Commander of Shelton’s American Legion Post 16, Al Sabetta.
Governor Rell, Rep. Perillo, Rep. Miller and Sen. Debicella, will formally induct the Class of 2009 in a public ceremony at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 in the Atrium of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.
At the ceremony, Governor Rell will present each honoree or family representative with an official, numbered commemorative medallion recognizing their formal induction into this select group.
“It is an honor to celebrate the memory of Dick Belden and recognize the work that both he and Al Sabetta have done for our community,” Perillo said. “There is no event in Shelton that honors our veterans where Al Sabetta is not taking a leadership role and there has been no major accomplishment in Shelton in the last thirty years where Dick Belden was not a driving force.”
“These individuals not only answered the call of their nation, they have answered the call of their communities. It is what they have done beyond their military service that truly sets them apart as individuals worthy of this special honor,” Rell said.
Forty Connecticut veterans have previously been inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. Among them are former President George H.W. Bush, former Governor William A. O’Neill, five Medal of Honor recipients and the first woman inductee, Navy Veteran Barbara Miller.
Veterans who served in all military conflicts are eligible to be considered, including World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Nomination packets for the 2010 Hall of Fame Class must be received by June 30, 2010. Nomination packets and additional information can be accessed at www.ct.gov/ctva.
Richard O. Belden (posthumous award; formerly of Shelton)
Dick Belden served in the U.S. Air Force from 1955 through 1961.
Known as “The Dean of the House,” Representative Belden served in the Connecticut General Assembly continuously from 1974 until his death in office in 2007.
He held many key leadership positions in the Legislature including Assistant House Republican Leader, Deputy Speaker of the House, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee and Member of the state Bond Commission.
He was Director of the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Institute of Municipal Studies and held many other significant statewide posts.
Mr. Belden had a 38-year management career at Sikorsky Aircraft. was a trustee of St. Margaret Mary Church in Shelton and a volunteer at Griffin Hospital Parent Child Resource Center, Lower Naugatuck Valley Boys and Girls Club, Hewitt Memorial Hospital, Valley Substance Abuse Council, Emmett O’Brien Regional Vocational-Technical School and the American Legion Sutter-Terlizzi Post #16.
Alphonse N. Sabetta of Shelton
Alphonse Sabetta served as a U.S. Army staff sergeant during the Korean War, where he was awarded the Korean Service Medal with Two Bronze Stars and the United Nations Service Medal.
He is past Commander and the current Adjutant of the Sutter-Terlizi American Legion Post #16.
In 2008 he was inducted in the Connecticut American Legion Hall of Fame. Mr. Sabetta is the organizer of many annual activities for youth to raise awareness of veterans’ contributions and community service including oratorical contests, fundraisers and Americanism programs in the schools.
He chaired the Naugatuck Valley Area Veterans Korean War 50th Anniversary Commemoration from 2000 to 2003. He is a member of the local selection committee for Boys and Girsl State and serves as Chairman of the War Memorial Scholarship Committee of Shelton. He also is a member of the VFW and Korean War Veterans Associations.
A long-time organizer, coach and official for youth athletics, his devotion to young people includes service with the Bob Cousy Basketball League, Little League, New Haven Board #10 Basketball Officials, Western Connecticut Football Officials, and Valley and New Haven Umpires Association. Mr. Sabetta is a retired maintenance supervisor for the Shelton Board of Education at Shelton High School.
