Memorial Day Parade 2022
Under the guidance of the Berlin Veterans Commission, the people of the Town of Berlin will observe Memorial Day with a parade and a ceremony on Monday, May 30, 2022.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Peter Galgano, Secretary Charles Colaresi, Chairman
(860) 604-7258 (860) 224-9494
MEMORIAL DAY PARADE – Monday MAY 30, 2022
Parade Route and Ceremony at the Berlin Veterans Memorial Park
(Berlin, CT) – This year’s Memorial Day Parade will start at 9:00 AM at St. Paul’s Church on Peck Street, Kensington. There will be a flyover by the CT Air National Guard during the parade. The parade route will go down Farmington Avenue turning left onto Massirio Drive, passing the Berlin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10732, then a left onto Veterans Way and end at the Berlin Veterans Memorial Park, where a Memorial Day Ceremony will take place between 9:45 and 10:05 AM.
This will be the 1st Memorial Day Ceremony, celebrated next to the Connecticut Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, that was dedicated on April 23, 2022.
There will be an Invocation by Clifford P. Cote, US Air Force Veteran. Father Joe, from St. Paul’s will do the Benediction. The Berlin High School Madrigal Singers, directed by Tyler Boyle, will sing the “National Anthem” and “America the Beautiful”. The Berlin High School Redcoat Marching Band will play “Grand Old Flag” and the Saxophone Quartet will play a "Service Salute Medley", both directed by Christopher Dresko. There will be a rifle volley by the joint members of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 10732, and members of the American Legion Post 68, followed by Taps played by Berlin HS Trumpeters Michael Damiana and Paul Kendrick.
This year’s guest speaker is Brigadier General (Ret.) Ron Welch
Ron is a graduate of East Lyme High School where he was an extremely competitive athlete in Football, Wrestling and Crew at the local, state, and national level. He also received the ELHS Wood Working award of the year his junior and senior year. Upon returning from a combat tour to Afghanistan he was inducted into the ELHS Football Hall of Fame.
Ron served full-time in U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger, including 3 trips to Panama, one was part of Operation Promote Liberty, 17 Worldwide Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercises with 2nd Battalion, 75th Airborne Rangers stationed at Fort Lewis, WA.
In May of 1981, he was involved in a severe in-line of duty parachute accident. After a medevac flight, he received extensive medical intervention, physical therapy, and several surgeries.
He next served full-time as an officer in the Connecticut National Guard totaling nearly 40 years of combined military service. During his service he was also involved in several Homeland Security missions protecting critical Infrastructure and Severe Weather Emergency responses.
He has held 28 different key staff and command assignments, completed 37 military schools from the tactical level to strategic level including U.S Army War College completing a master’s degree in Strategic Studies.
He is Level III Joint Service Qualified and completed the US NORTHERN Command Dual Status Commander Certification program. Ron also completed a master’s degree at Eastern Connecticut University in Organizational Management.
Some of Ron’s awards include the Legion of Merit for over 39 years of distinguished service in peace and war. The Soldiers Medal which is the Army’s highest peacetime award and Connecticut Medal of Valor for leading Rescue Operations in the Fairfield Beach area during a Nor Easter that slammed the coast in December of 1992. 34 civilians were saved that day by his small team and efforts of the United States Coast Guard, Search and Rescue Helicopters.
He was awarded a Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman’s Badge for leading on the ground combat operations during a one-year tour in Afghanistan.
Ron also earned 4 Meritorious Service Medals, 9 Army Commendations Medals, the Afghan Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Expert Infantryman’s, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Air Assault Badge, Canadian and Israeli Parachute Badge and CT Medal of Valor.
Both Ron and his eldest son Stephen are Combat Veterans of Afghanistan. Stephen presently serves as a CPT in the CT National Guard and is a Physicians’ Assistant at Yale in the Emergency Department. He recently completed his 3rd combat deployment. His daughter Katherine is a junior in the Honors, Occupational Therapy Program at Quinnipiac University. His youngest son Ethan is a sophomore at Pennsylvania State University.
Ron currently serves as the Vice President for Military Services & Economic Development at the Veterans Rally Point, which is part of Easterseals Capital Region and Eastern Connecticut located in Norwich. The Veterans Rally Point provides free life changing services to veterans and family members.
In the event of rain, the Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 10732, 152 Massirio Dr., Berlin, CT 06037 at 9:00 AM.
