Members of the West Haven Veterans Council and city officials dedicated the eighth phase of the brick Veterans Walk of Honor project on Saturday night, just days before Memorial Day.
Veterans were invited to be a part of the ceremony at Bradley Point Park, which included a presentation of colors, invocation and wreath-laying. West Haven Mayor Edward M. O'Brien and Dave Ricci, president of the council, gave remarks.
"They come from all services, all branches, all veterans," Ricci said. "It’s not limited to veterans that have been to war. This is for all veterans."
Officials dedicated a granite stone by West Haven's Giordano Bros. Monuments in memory of Lorelee "Lori" Grenfell on the Walk of Honor, the one who came up with the idea of selling the bricks to memorialize veterans. Grenfell was a longtime president of the council and died Feb. 19 at 60 years old. She was a veteran of the U.S. Arma from the Vietnam War era.
The council launched the first of eight campaigns in 2006 to sell bricks for $75 a piece in memory of veterans on the Walk of Honor that spans 100 yards between the William A. Soderman and Vietnam Veterans memorials in town.
Organizers say Grenfell's service, as well as all the other veterans, will not be forgotten.
“It’s a place where you can come down and look at the name and remember," Ricci said. "It’s almost a sacred thing.”
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About 105 bricks were dedicated at the ceremony of the 2,000 bricks there are on the walk.
“To see it up front is pretty amazing," Linda Casini, of Derby, said, snapping a picture of a brick with the name of her father, Orlando Sparenzi engraved in it.
Butch, as he was known, served in the Army in World War II.
“He never really talked about it but yeah we’re really proud of him. So, this is a great honor," Casini said.
State Rep. Charles J. Ferraro (R-West Haven) was scheduled to present the Grenfell family with a General Assembly citation that the city's delegation has signed recognizing "Grenfell's devotion to her fellow veterans," according to a news release.
The park is off of Captain Thomas Boulevard and the ceremony started at 5 p.m. West Haven's Memorial Day parade is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 25 and will also be dedicated to Grenfell.
