Town of Willington, CT - Congratulations to Retired CTNG Command Sergant Major William W. Chapman II

WILLINGTON, CONN., October 20, 2009 – Retired CTNG Command Sergeant Major William W. Chapman II of Willington has been named an Honorary Grand Marshals of one of the largest salutes to veterans in the entire U.S. Chapman, who has over 35 years of distinguished military service in the Marine Corps, Army Reserve, and Connecticut National Guard, will be featured in the 10^th anniversary Connecticut Veterans Day Parade to take place on Sunday, November 8 in Hartford. More than 4,000 marchers will step off at 1 p.m. near the Connecticut State Capitol Building in Hartford and proceed for 1.26 miles through the Downtown area.

The parade will feature a Special Salute to the men and women who served on Active Duty during the Vietnam War. “This year marks the 35^th anniversary since the last U.S. troops left Vietnam in 1974,” explains Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs Commissioner Linda S. Schwartz, herself a Vietnam Air Force nurse. “We hope to give these veterans a heartfelt Connecticut ‘Welcome Home’ that many of them never received. Any Vietnam veteran who may not have a unit to march with is welcome to register and join us in the parade.”

The colorful annual Connecticut Veterans Day Parade honors the dedication and sacrifices of servicemen and women from all U.S. conflicts, and offers the state’s residents the opportunity to express their thanks in a meaningful way. Any Connecticut resident who is an active, retired or honorably discharged member of the U.S. Armed Forces including commissioned officers, warrant officers and enlisted personnel of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves is welcome to participate. Parade organizers also seek veterans groups, patriotic commissions, local municipalities, and middle, high school, college and university marching bands and drill teams from throughout the state.

The parade will feature marching bands from the University of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University, and high school and middle schools, pipe & drum and fife & drum corps from all over the state. Special parade features will include fly-overs by military aircraft and a tolling of church bells and Moment of Silence when the parade will pause in observance of veterans who died while serving their country, followed by the singing of the National Anthem by U.S. veteran Alvin O’Connor, who recently won the First Place in Solo Classical Performance at the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in San Antonio, Tex. Volunteers will hand out American flags to spectators, and sell 2009 commemorative Parade lapel pins at $3 apiece or two for $5 – currently available for purchase at www.ctveteransdayparade.org. Proceeds will help to pay for parade operations.

The parade will be preceded at 12noon by a Wreath-Laying Ceremony to remember veterans at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch at Jewell St. and Trinity St. in Hartford’s Bushnell Park, featuring a Color Guard and band. In addition, for the pleasure of spectators before and after the parade, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art will offer free admission for U.S. veterans and current serving military personnel from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Bushnell Park Carousel will open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at $1 a ride for everyone.

A variety of food and beverage and merchandise vendors will be located both on Elm Street (near the beginning of the parade route) and on Main Street near Gold Street (across from the Reviewing Stand). Many Downtown Hartford parking garages and surface lots will offer discounted parking on parade day.

The Connecticut Veterans Day Parade is organized by a collaboration of veterans’ groups, corporations, local municipalities, businesses and civic organizations, and is administered by the Greater Hartford Arts Council and managed by The Ferris Group, LLC. The Connecticut National Guard assists with parade logistics, and the City of Hartford hosts the event.

The 1.26-mile parade will begin near the Connecticut State Capitol at the intersection of Buckingham St. and Washington St., travel north down Trinity Street and through the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, go right onto Asylum Street, and make a right onto Main Street where it will pass a reviewing stand across from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and finally make a right onto Capitol Avenue where it will end. The event is expected to last for 2 to 2 ½ hours.

To date, Title Sponsors include: Aetna – which has established an endowment fund to ensure the future of the parade; Connecticut Light & Power; the Connecticut National Guard; The Hartford Courant; Hartford Steam Boiler; United Technologies; and WDRC Radio. Associate Sponsors include: Bank of America; Bob’s Discount Furniture; The Greater Hartford Arts Council; Pratt & Whitney; Rockville Bank Foundation; Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center; and Travelers. The parade is produced in cooperation with: Brad Davis; Carmen Anthony Steakhouse, LLC; the City of Hartford; The Cly-Del Manufacturing Company; the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs; Gagnon, LLC; Joseph Glassner; Horizon Home Mortgage; the Lombard Group; and Prudential Retirement.

Paul W. “Buddy” Bucha is a Vietnam veteran and recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award that can be given to military personnel. A West Point graduate, he was deployed to Vietnam as part of Operation Eagle Thrust. On March 16, 1968, Captain Bucha was the commanding officer of a reconnaissance-in-force mission that was inserted by helicopter near Phuoc Vinh, Binh Duong Province to locate and destroy an enemy stronghold. When his men were pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire, he crawled 40 meters through a hail of enemy fire to single-handedly destroy the bunker with grenades. Though wounded, upon seeing his unit’s perimeter was about to be overrun, he ordered a withdrawal while providing covering fire. At one point during the night, he ordered his men to "play dead" while he brought in friendly fire on the enemy. He also stood, in full view of the enemy, with a flashlight to direct the evacuation of three helicopters carrying the most seriously wounded from the field of battle. For his actions, Captain Bucha received, among other decorations, the Bronze Star with V and Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor. Upon his return to the U.S., he reported for assignment as Assistant Professor of Managerial Economics at West Point.

After resigning his Army commission, Bucha became a top executive for H. Ross Perot’s Electronic Data Systems Corporation (EDS) and later established his own real estate development company. Today, he is actively involved in national security and veterans issues with the encouragement of President Barack Obama's administration, and was an advisor to candidate Obama during his 2008 campaign. He is a frequent lecturer to military leaders of all branches on honor and leadership and is active in a variety of veteran organizations including the American Legion, the U.S. Army Ranger Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.He has four children and three grandchildren, and lives in Ridgefield, CT with his wife, Cynthia.

Dr. Madelon Visintainer Baranoski had a distinguished Military career in the Army, serving as a Surgical Nurse and Nurse Supervisor while stationed in Vietnam. Her first assignments were at the 8th Field Hospital in Nha Trang, and then at the 25th Evacuation Hospital in CuChi, Vietnam. She is a recipient of the Bronze Star for her meritorious service in a combat area, and has received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam Gallantry Cross.

A national pioneer in the field of identification and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, Dr. Baranoski is Associate Clinical Professor in the Law and Psychiatry Division at Yale University School of Medicine, and Director of the New Haven Jail Diversion Program. She is a P.O.S.T. Certified Instructor in the areas of law enforcement encounters with persons with mental illness, and she has taught at the New Haven Police Academy, the Connecticut State Police and municipal police agencies. Dr. Baranoski is an accomplished researcher and practitioner in the area of forensic psychology and has given lectures across the country. She is also on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online Editorial Board. As part of her professional duties as a clinical psychologist for the Connecticut Mental Health Center, Dr. Baranoski evaluates defendants to determine whether they are competent to stand trial. She lives in Meriden with her husband, Robert Baranoski, their two sons, who are in college, and with her mother and father, who met while serving in WWII. Her mother was a Navy Nurse on Guam and her father was enlisted in the Army Air Corps on Tinian.

Born on a family dairy farm in Coventry, Conn., Eleanor Shirshac Becker, now 92 years old, was working for the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. She heard about the establishment of the new Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACS) [now known as Women’s Army Corps (WACS)] and immediately volunteered to serve because she "wanted to help out”. After close to a year as a supply sergeant, Becker was recommended for Officer Candidate School (OCS). She was trained in cryptography and took the secret orders for parts for military aircraft that were fighting in Europe and the Pacific. She rose through the ranks to Captain, serving in several locations around the U.S. At the end of the war, she returned home to many years of service for State of Connecticut.

A longtime Killingworth community volunteer, Becker recently was honored by the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee for 55 years of service. She was named the Killingworth Lions Club’s Citizen of the Year in 1999, was a member of the Killingworth School Board, and was active in forming Killingworth’s first pre-school. She continues to work part-time at a local dry cleaners and is involved in the Killingworth Congregational Church. She married the late Edward F. Becker, a New Haven attorney, and has two sons, one of whom is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel whose wife is an active Lieutenant Colonel herself.

Retired CTARNG Command Sergeant Major William W. Chapman II of Willington, Conn. has more than 35 years of distinguished military service in the Marine Corps, Army Reserve, and Connecticut Army National Guard. His military experience includes Aircraft Hydraulics, Infantry, Civil Affairs, Combat Engineer, Military Police, and Logistics. He joined the Marine Corps in 1972 because “I felt the need to serve my country,” taking his physical on his 17^th birthday and a few days later was in Parris Island. During the Vietnam War, Chapman served in the Marines in Japan, Philippines, Okinawa, and Taiwan, and finished up stateside in 1976 in North Carolina. He later joined the Army Reserve Infantry and Civil Affairs for five years of service. In 1989, Chapman joined the Connecticut Army National Guard and finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Business while serving. He was deployed several times after 9/11 as part of Operation Noble Eagle and Operation Iraqi Freedom, including service in Tikrit, Iraq. Recently retired from the Connecticut Army National Guard, he is the recipient of a Bronze star, a Purple Heart, an Army Meritorious Service Medal, and three Army Commendation Medals. He was named the Connecticut Army National Guard Honor Soldier of the Year in May 2008.

Chapman is a former Captain and trainer with the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC), having retired after two decades of civilian experience in 2002. He is also a member of the DOC Military Peer Support Program, started by Commissioner (Ret.) Theresa Lantz, to assist DOC employees and their families during deployments. He now is with the Department of Homeland Security as a Transportation Security Manager at Bradley International Airport. The Willington resident is married to his wife of 30 years, Suzanne, and has two children. His daughter works with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and his son is a Newtown, Conn. Police Officer.

Bill McGurk is a veteran of 28 years of service in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve. He was commissioned as an Ensign in June 1963, upon his graduation from Holy Cross College. His first assignment was aboard the USS FORREST SHERMAN where he served as Main Propulsion Assistant and Electronics Material Officer. He participated in Mediterranean and Northern European deployments, as well as two Caribbean cruises and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Upon release from active duty, McGurk affiliated with the Naval Reserve Surface Division 1-14M in Pittsfield, Mass. He served as Naval Reserve Commanding Officer of eight units at five Reserve Centers in two Readiness Commands. Those Reserve Centers were: Pittsfield, Mass./Albany, NY; Bedford, Mass.; Boston, Mass; Quincy, Mass.; and Providence, RI. He also served on the staff of Commander, Naval Reserve Readiness Command Region One, Newport, RI. McGurk is a graduate of the Naval Justice School and completed the Naval War College nonresident curriculum in National Security Decision Making. He retired from the Naval Reserve in 1991.

McGurk has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Rockville Bank since 1980 and holds leadership positions in many community and industry associations. He has been a member of the Manchester Community College Foundation for over 15 years, 10 of those as Treasurer. He has been an Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) Trustee since 1995 and served as Chairman of the Board and Vice-Chairman. A member of the State of Connecticut Community College Board of Trustees, he currently serves as its Audit Chairman. He is a past Chairman of the Bankers Advisory Board of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, a past President of Connecticut Community Bankers Association, has served as a member of the Board of the Bank Marketing Association, New England Chapter, and is an Honorary Trustee of the New England College of Finance and a recipient of its McLaughlin Award. McGurk and his wife, Mary, have five children and two grandchildren. He proudly has marched in several of the Connecticut Veterans Day Parades, in his Naval Reserve uniform.