More than 500 area residents and elected officials honored veterans from Ansonia, Derby, Seymour and Beacon Falls at a ceremony Thursday morning.
The crowd was much larger than expected, said legislative aide Allison Blancato. Organizers and aides for state Reps. Theresa Conroy (D‑Seymour) and Linda Gentile (D‑Ansonia) put out 400 chairs and yet found themselves overwhelmed by a full house at the Ansonia Armory.
Veterans with service from World War II up to the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq received medals. In addition, the families of thirty seven deceased veterans received medals.
Blancato said many veterans had brought their entire extended families, right down to nieces, nephews and grandchildren, and others did not register before the event.
While he was surprised to see so many people, Ansonia American Legion member William Ritchie, 72, called the turnout ​“fantastic.”
Linda Schwartz, the state commissioner of veterans’ affairs, and several members of Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s military staff, awarded each veteran – or in the case of 37 deceased veterans being honored Thursday, family members – a service medal.
Veterans represented all five military branches.
In a speech to the crowd, Schwartz told the crowd that her father, a World War II veteran, never told her the stories of fighting abroad. Her father only recalled it once, to her mother, and she has only ever known the story of her father’s military service through reading it in her mother’s handwriting.
“If you have not taken the time to share your story of what you did, go home and share it,” she urged the veterans. ​“Your story, like my father’s is a true family heirloom.”
The crowd was enthusiastic throughout the hour-long ceremony. Veterans’ family members beamed and took pictures as the names of all the veterans being honored were read aloud.
Conroy said the ceremony is long overdue, and both she and Gentile said they hope to see it become a biennial tradition.
“Our freedom depends on the sacrifices of the men and women here today – and those who are unable to be here with us – and we can never do enough to say thank you for their service. This medal,” she said, ​“is a thank you from the entire state of Connecticut.”
Medal RECIPIENTS
Names Followed by an asterisk received the medal posthumously
ANSONIA
LEO ANTOGNETTE *
PETER J. ARAGI
LOUIS R. BAKER
DENNIS A. BANKS *
WALTER J. BEAULIEU
ROBERT J. BEECHER
STEPHANIE N. BENNETT
JOSEPH L. BERUBE
DANIEL L. BLACKWELL
EDWARD J. BLUDNICKI
WILLIAM A. BOLEVIC
ALBERT D. BORZELLI
ANGELO BOTTACHIARI
CHARLES D. BROWN
LEONARD F. CANDELA
RICHARD J. CARPINELLO *
SALVATORE S. CASSETTI
ROSARIO J. CINQUEMANI
RICHARD F. CODY
DOMINIC C. CONSTANTINO
DONNON D. COTHRAN *
ANTHONY J. DAIUTO
MICHAEL A. DALESSIO
JEREMIAH J. DONAHUE *
LOUIS DONOFRIO
JOSEPH M. DULLA
DONALD G. EHEMAN
JOHN J. ENNIS
JOHN D. ESPOSITO
DOMINIC F. ESPOSITO, SR. *
FRED L. FALCHA
NICHOLAS J. FAMA
ANTHONY J. FARIA
JOHN FERENCZ
JOHN J. FORBES *
NELSON S. FORCIER
RAYMOND FOSTER
HARRY J. FRANCOLINI
JOHN R. GRANATIE
FRANK GREGORIO
ROBERT J. GURA
LOUIS R. HENDRICKS
CHARLES N. HILBERT
RICHARD J. HOMICK
GEORGE A. HOWARD, JR.
PETER INSALACO
JOSEPH B. JENKS
OWEN D. JENNINGS
LEON P. KAZLAUSKAS
DONALD G. KING *
FRANK H. KOCOL
GEORGE J. KOZAK
GREGORY M. KUDEJ
JOSEPH R. LESKO
KENNETH S. LEVINE
ANTHONY M. LIMAURO
JOHN LOTTO
PAUL R. LYNCH
RICHARD LYSKOWSKI
RAYMOND T. MACDONALD
MICHAEL J. MACKNO *
HOWARD S. MADIGOSKY
PAUL S. MANZONE
PAUL S. MANZONE *
JERRY W. MARTIN
ANTHONY T. MAZIUK
JOHN MCGRATH
KEVIN W. MILLEA
MICHAEL MOZZOCA
WILLIAM C. NIMONS
GEORGE P. NOE
WILLIAM P. PAUPINI
EDWARD J. PELATOWSKI
SEBASTION S. PETRUZZELLO
EDWARD C. PHIPPS
JOSEPH J. PIECHOTA *
WILLIAM L. POETA
SAMUEL F. PORCU
DAVID L. RANDALL
FREDERICK D. RENKER
PETER M. REYNOLDS
JAMES K. RICHARDS
EDWIN RIVERA DIAZ
William Rotko *
EDWARD T. RZASA
LEONARD RZASA
PAUL M. SARDO
STANLEY J. SASKA
DONALD SCHRIVER
FREDERICK J. SCHURK
DAVID M. SEVICK
JOHN C. SHEPHERD *
RAYMOND J. SIMMONS
ALFONSO SMITH
WILLIAM W. SMITH
PETER .SOLESKI, JR.
EUGENE H. SOUKUP
DARIO J. SPERANZINI *
WALTER F. SQUIRES
JOHN SZPAK
FREDERICK W. TANNER
JOHN J. TECCI
ALLEN W. TORDAY
RUSSELL R. TRAVERSE *
JOSEPH L. TURSKI
JOSEPH TURUSK
JOSEPH E. VEDOCK *
CHARLES J. VOROSCHAK
RICHARD J. WAILIONIS
PETER WEITZLER
PAUL WILLETS
JOHN H. WILSON
THEODORE G. WOROBEL
WILLIAM J. WRIGHT
GEORGE ZOLOVCHIK, JR.
BEACON FALLS
Kenneth Ardry
U. SHERMAN AVERY *
ALLAN BANYACSKY
Thomas Beatrice
Robert Black
PAUL BLOCK
GERALD BOUSQUET
HANFORD CABLE
Bruce Carlson
BRUCE CARLSON
Earl Chellis
GERALD CHOPAK
LEONARD DAMICO
BERNARD DRABICKI
Robert Field
James Funingiello
JAMES FUNINGIELLO
MANUEL R. GANDARILLAS *
JOSEPH GETLEIN
SIDNEY GLANZ
Raymond Haversat
Leroy Hennessey
ROBERT HUNTER
ROBERT INGIANNI
PAUL JASINSKI
Joseph Jeanette
Martin Kichar
HAROLD KING
William Klopfer
Louis Krokosky
Raymond Kunz
JOSEPH LASKOWSKI
Peter Loverci
DARIO MARINELLI
Daniel Masas
JAMES MCCAULEY
RICHARD MINNICK
Edmund Mis
FRANK MIS
CHESTER MROZINSKI
MICHAEL MUGGEO
JOHN PAACKER
Thomas Pepe
JOHN A. PETERSON *
CHARLES PIWONSKI
JOHN SAMSON
FREDRIC SANBORN
ANDREAS SAVVIDOU
JOSEPH SCHUMSKI
FRANK SEMPLENSKI
ROBERT SHARNICK
JOHN SIDOROW
EDMUND SIERAKOWSKI
JAMES SMITH
Peter Sokolowski
RICHARD TRZASKI
JOSEPH TUPY
ERNEST TYERS
HENRY WASILEK
NORBERT WILLIAMSON
DAVID WINNE
James William Woodward
DERBY
ANDREW E. BEDNARIK
FRANCISCO BENITEZ
DAVID F. BISHOP
Mariano Carrubba
JOHN F. COSTIGAN *
JOSEPH M. DENIGRIS
JOHN R. DINAN *
LAWRENCE S. DOROSH
JAMES K. HAWKS
ALBERT N. MARCHETTI
SALVATORE MARICONDA
EMIL J. MARTIN
JAMES F. OWENS
DENNIS M. PEASLEE
CHARLES E. ROBERTS
DANIEL RODRIGUEZ, III
GEORGE S. SEMBER *
ANTHONY STAFFIERI
GEOFFREY W. TURNER
FRANK VACCARINO
ROBERT H. WELLER *
BERNARD H. WILLIAMSON
SEYMOUR
Floyd Abbott
Peter Aquila
ARTHUR ASPINWALL
Howard Bailey
DONALD BALDWIN
Frances Balogh
WILLIAM BANKS
John Barker
GEORGE BASHURA
WILLIAM BECKOS
Adelaide Biondi
FRANK BLAZE
Gloria Bobbins
ANATOL BOBROWSKY
VICTOR BONAVITA
EVERETT BOWEN
RICHARD BOWEN
STEPHEN BRACCI
Daniel Brandon
FRANK BUCHERATI
JOSEPH BUDNIK
LEON BUNK
ARTHUR CACCHILLO
Judy Cannon
FREDERICK CASEY
EDWARD F. CASHIN *
Thomas Cassel
ANTHONY CEDRONE
Stephen Chalfa
JOSEPH CHATCAVAGE
ANDREW CHERNOK
Thomas Cherry
DAVID COE
Ora Conklin
Robert Connors
FRANCIS CONROY
JOHN CONTE
FREDERICK L. COSTER *
THOMAS CREIGHTON
WARREN CROFOOT
RICHARD G. CRUTCH *
HAROLD R. CUNLIFFE *
DANIEL CUSANO
DONATO DALOIA *
John Dantona
PERRY DEGEORGE
WOODROW DEGEORGE
Serafino Dellapiano
Walter Dembek
Muriel Derienzo
EDWARD DILLEY
ROGER DILLIBER
JOSEPH DOMOZYCH
George Dudik
BRIAN DUGGAN
Donald Dziadik
Edwina Engmann
RUSSELL ERRICKSON
Gladys Evenski
George Farrell
WAYNE FINKLE
ANNA FORREST
CHARLES FULLER
ANTONIO FURFARO
JOSEPH GAETANO
Joseph Gesek *
Joseph Giannone
GENNARO GIOVACCHINO
JOHN GIUGNO
JOSEPH GLUZ
GREG GRAMOLINI
ERNEST GREYWACZ
Thomas Groves
FREDERICK GRUMMAN
CASIMIR GRUSZ
WALTER GRUSZ
JOHN GRZEBIENEK
WILLIAM HATHAWAY
CHARLES HESS
LEROY HIBBARD
Elaine Hoffman
PETER HOMICK
STEPHEN HUBYK
WARREN HYATT
William Janega
ELWIN JIMMO
EDWARD JOHNS
ROBERT KACZMARCZYK
EDWARD KARKOSKI
HENRY KAZMIERSKI *
Michael Kearney
STAPLETON KENNETH
HERMAN KIRK
JOSEPH KLEZOVICH
MITCHELL KOPEC
HENRY KORNACKI
JOHN KOTENSKI
SAMUEL KOWAL
SERGEY KOWALSKY *
Donna Kozey
BENJAMIN KOZLOSKI
STEVEN KRICK
PETER KROSS
DAVID KUMMER
PHILLIP KWOKA
MICHAEL LABAN
RICHARD LABRECQUE
JOSEPH LATKA
FRANCIS LEPRI
HAROLD LINDNER
DOUGLAS LINDSAY
ALAN LITTLE
Edmund Loughlin
JAMES LUKOWSKI
Edwin Lyszkowski
Edward Maciejko
John Maiorino
John Majoros
WALTER MARCH
ROBERT MARSHALL
JAMES MASSARI
Francis McKane
John McQuillan
RICHARD MILES
KEITH MITCHELL
CHARLES MULLIGAN
GEORGE MURPHY
JOHN NAJDA
JOSEPH NANISTA
JOHN NICOLETTI
ROBERT NIKITUK
Albert Nimons
RAYMOND ORTIZ
MYRON OSTASZESKI
ANTHONY PALE
JOSEPH PALUTIS
MATTHEW PANULLA
Joseph Pedevillano
FRANK PEKAR *
WAYNE PENN
JAMES PERCIVAL
William Pidlipchak
HENRY PIORKOWSKI
BERT PITNEY
JOHN PLOSKI
ALBERT POETA
Jessica Polizzo
ARTHUR POWERS
ANDREW PRASKEVICH
FELIX PRINCE *
STANLEY PTAK
Evelyn Radovich
FREDERICK RAMSAY
JOHN READY
Donald Reidy
RICHARD REILLY
WILLIAM RITCHIE
George Roman
GEORGE ROZYM *
Edward Sadlowski
Rudolph Shook
Joseph Stasik
RONALD STEBAR
GENE STRAUSSMAN
CLIFFORD STRUMELLO
ANTHONY SUCHOWER
EDGAR TAYLOR
NICHOLAS TEMA
Ellen Teodosio
Joseph Terzini *
HENRY TESTO
EDWARD TINGLEY *
Elsie Trzcinski
Barry Turlish
Joseph Uhelsky
NICHOLAS VALENTINO *
JAMES VEILLETTE
JOSEPH VICIDOMINO
PAUL WARSENICK
SAMUEL WASHENKO
Barbara Wheeler
Philip Wilhelmy
Mary Wilkins
JAMES WILLIAMS
George Wityak
Richard Yitts
HARRY YOST
Francis Zalenski
STEVEN ZAVEDNAK *
HENRY ZIGMONT