SOUTHWICK – During Tuesday night’s school committee meeting, the committee voted in favor of approving the veteran’s memorial placement in the foyer of the Southwick Regional High School.
Troy Henke, a member of Southwick VFW Post 872 and who has been at the forefront of this project, was pleased to get the approval as he’s eager to move forward with the rest of the project.
“Now we have official approval,” said Henke. “We’ve already started to do some preliminary planning but now we can really start to begin the planning.”
School committee members are seen raising their hands and voting in favor of approving the veteran’s memorial foyer. (Photo courtesy of Greg Fitzpatrick)
The planning revolves around a ceremony that Southwick VFW Post 872 will have to unveil the plaques of the three veterans.
First reported on Sept. 23, veterans who graduated from Southwick, Tolland, Granville Regional High School and were killed in combat or in a hostile attack while serving their country would have plaques on the wall. To date, the veterans who will have their names on a plaque in placed on the wall near the foyer of the high school are as follows:
- William Alamed Jr. (killed while fighting the Vietnam War)
- Steven Wentworth (killed in the Beirut bombings in 1983)
- Travis Fuller (killed in Iraq War in 2005)
On the plaques, there will be an image of each of the three veterans, their years of life, the year they graduated, and any service information.
According to Henke, besides purchasing the plaques, he will be reaching out to several other veterans organizations, family members of the three veteran’s, active military, veteran’s, and as well as town officials and local politicians.
“This is going to be a big deal for the families of the fallen, the local organizations, and the school district,” said Henke. “Everybody’s going to be involved, everybody’s going to have the opportunity to contribute.”
While Henke and the rest of Southwick VFW Post 872 is starting to plan for the ceremony, he said that the ceremony will most likely take place at some point in the spring of 2018.
