The public is encouraged to attend the Wreaths Across America dedication ceremony to be held at noon on Saturday, Dec. 16, at Darien’s Spring Grove Veterans’ Cemetery. Those attending early will be able to enjoy some seasonal music by the Coastal Chordsmen, a men’s a cappella chorus, who will also sing the National Anthem. Many interested local residents are needed to help with the wreath placement this year. People are asked to arrive by 11:30 a.m. to prepare for the noon ceremony.
Darien-based National Veterans Services Fund, a four-decade-old group that helps veterans, particularly those in emergencies, announced Saturday that it’s changing its name, its website and the way it raises money. The HonorBound Foundation has the new website up, although the website for the group under its old name is also still on the Web.
The former name “didn’t really convey the mission that we really need to convey, the mission that we really need to convey,” said the organization’s executive director, Phillip Kraft, who made the announcement on the morning of Veterans Day at the headquarters for the group on West Avenue. “That’s why, over the years, we decided that this was really the best direction to go,” he continued. “That’s because we — as veterans, we are honor-bound to help our brother and sister veterans in any way we can, and the name just suddenly popped up — like, that’s the name we should go with.” By raising its own money rather than relying on telemarketers and fundraising companies, the foundation expects to stop sharp criticism from some news organizations and charity watchdog groups that it doesn’t spend enough of its contributions on veterans themselves.
Various local groups supporting veterans will be accepting contributions this weekend and next to pay for this year’s laying of wreaths Dec. 16 at the graves of some of Darien’s veterans. The ceremony, associated with Wreaths Across America, will be held at noon Saturday, Dec. 16 in Darien’s Spring Grove Veterans Cemetery. Last year, wreaths covered all 2,184 graves in the veterans’ section of Spring Grove.
Ned Goodnow, a longtime resident of Darien who received a Purple Heart as a combat infantryman in World War II, will lead Darien’s Memorial Day parade as grand marshal. The Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission named Goodnow to the honor in an announcement Friday morning. Phil Kraft, executive director of the National Veterans Services Fund and chairman of the commission, was named the Memorial Day speaker. Here’s the announcement about Goodnow:
Edward B. (“Ned”) Goodnow of Darien, who earned a Purple Heart as a combat infantryman in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, will lead the town’s Memorial Day parade as its grand marshal. Ned Goodnow is a native of Norwich.
