[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 26123-26124]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VETERAN OF THE MONTH PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 28, 2009

  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
the 20th anniversary of the ``Veteran of the Month'' program. I am 
honored to represent the patriotic citizens of Bantam, Connecticut, 
home of American Legion Post 44, where the ``Veteran of the Month'' 
program was founded to honor deceased honorably discharged veterans, 
soldiers that died while in the service, soldiers that remain missing 
in action, and special civilian employees of the U.S. Army, Air Force, 
Navy, Marines or Merchant Marines during World War II.
  On the first Saturday of the month for the past 240 months, Post 44 
conducts a flag raising ceremony in Bantam to celebrate the life and 
service of a new honoree. The list of honored veterans includes men and 
women who have served in seven different branches during eleven 
separate wars. They have all made unique and important contributions to 
their communities.
  The ``Veteran of the Month'' program officially began with a flag 
raising on October 25, 1989. As with many great ideas, this program was 
born out of necessity. The American flag at the All Wars Memorial in 
Bantam was damaged, but the delivery of a new flag was delayed. In the 
meantime, Arthur Shaw offered his late father's burial flag to be flown 
until the new flag arrived. Post 44 Commander Francis Fabbri gladly 
accepted the use of the burial flag as a temporary solution until the 
replacement was received. When word that a burial flag was being flown 
began to spread around the community, local families of deceased 
veterans wanted to honor their loved ones by flying their flags as 
well. Mr. Shaw and Mr. Fabbri recognized that this would represent a 
fantastic opportunity to pay tribute to soldiers' lives, both during 
and after their military service.
  In early 1990, Commander Arthur St. John developed the ceremony 
format that has been followed ever since. Mr. St. John has worked 
tirelessly to grow the ``Veteran of the Month'' program into a 
nationwide effort. It was adopted as an American Legion Americanism 
Program in 1993 as a model of how to pay tribute to local veterans for 
their service to our nation.
  For their efforts, American Legion Post 44 has been awarded the 
Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge's highest honor, the George 
Washington Honor Medal. In addition, Mr. St. John, Mr. Fabbri, and Mr. 
Shaw were awarded the Medal of Honor by the Sons and Daughters of the 
American Revolution. In 2007, Mr. St. John was inducted into the 
Connecticut American Legion Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural 
class.
  Last Saturday, as on the 240 Saturdays prior, one flag was retired 
and another was

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raised in Bantam. We celebrate and remember the lives of not only the 2 
veterans honored at the ceremony, but all those who have participated 
over the years.

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