Seymour, State Officials Recognize Town Military Veterans

SEYMOUR – Some 60 years after U.S. Army Veteran Ugo Zullo returned home after serving in the military, he received an official recognition from the State of Connecticut Tuesday (Sept. 27) for his service to the country.

“I got out in 1962 and this is the first time I’ve ever been recognized,” Zullo said.

While Zullo, a Seymour resident, wasn’t in combat, he and others fresh out of high school were called upon by President John F. Kennedy as reserves during the Berlin Crisis. Zullo joined the Army in 1960 and went to Fort Bragg in North Carolina for combat training.

“We were supposed to go to Germany, but thankfully I never left the states,” Zullo said. ​“When I came home, while it wasn’t like others coming home from a war, I certainly do appreciate this recognition.”

Zullo, along with more than 50 other veterans, all from Seymour, were honored at Seymour Middle School during a Veteran’s Wartime Service Medal Ceremony. About 200 people attended. The ceremony was established in 2005 by former Governor M. Jodi Rell and the Connecticut General Assembly as a way to recognize the service of the state’s veterans.

Each veteran was presented with a medal for their wartime service. The event was hosted by state Senators Kevin Kelly and Eric Berthel, state Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria and members of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs. First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis led the event.

And just as Zullo voluntarily signed up to serve the country, when he came home, he continued a lifetime of service to the community. He served as president of Seymour Pop Warner Football, president of both the Seymour and Oxford Lions Clubs, president of the Seymour Father’s Club and president of the Sons of Italy in Derby.

“I enjoyed all of it every day, and don’t regret one minute of it,” Zullo said.

Thomas Saadi, the state’s Veterans Affairs commissioner, lauded Zullo and his fellow veterans in attendance, saying ceremonies like the one held Tuesday are a reminder of the debt all veterans are owed.

“You all, and your brothers and sisters answered to the higher calling, that of duty, honor and country,” said Saadi. ​“Whether you served domestically or abroad, you served in a time of war, you raised your right hand and you took that oath to protect and defend this nation, with your life if necessary. And once you hung up your uniform, you did not stop serving. You served your community to make sure that subsequent generations will be able to have the privilege of living the legacy of this country’s freedom and democracy that you fought to protect. I thank you for your military service.”

Seymour’s American Legion Post 10 Commander Michael Kearney called each of the veterans in the audience forward to receive their medals. Many were accompanied by family members and friends and were met with applause from the crowd as Kelley and Berthel pinned the long-overdue medals on them.

Selectman Chris Bowen, a U.S. Navy Veteran and American Legion Post 10 Adjutant, was proud to receive his medal.

“This is a good thing,” Bowen said. ​“It’s one thing to say ​‘thank you for your service,’ it’s another thing to recognize that; this is tangible recognition. It’s a show of respect for my brothers and sisters, especially the ones that came before me.”