Good Genes: Grand Marshal Nicholas Rossi and Grandson Nick Rossi Take the Stage to Honor the Fallen
Nicholas Rossi, 99, with his grandson Nick Rossi, 19. Rossi Sr., a WWII veteran, served as the Westport Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal. Nicholas Rossi, 99, was beaming today as he served as the Westport Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal.
Nick Rossi, 19, kisses his grandfather Nicholas Rossi, 99, as he completes his performance of the Star Spangled Banner. Born on Long Island in 1922 and graduating Oyster Bay High School in 1940, Rossi enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1942 at the age of 19. He joined the 8th Air Force Bomber Command as a Technical Sergeant, working as a gunner on the infamous B-17 aircrafts over occupied Europe. By the end of the War, the 8th Army Air Force accounted for half of the Army Air Forces' casualties in World War II - with more than 47,000 casualties and more than 26,000 lost.
Rossi’s grandson Nick Rossi, 19, spoke on behalf of his grandfather today during the Memorial Day Ceremonies following the parade. “When he enlisted, he was 19 years old - the same age that I am right now.” Nick described. “It is unimaginable to me what it must have felt like to go off to war as a young man who had barely begun to live his life. It was a selfless sacrifice - not even a choice at that point in time - but an expectation that that generation of young men would enlist and serve their country.” he continued as his grandfather looked to him at the podium. “He became an expert on the B-17 aircraft.”
Nicholas Rossi admires his grandson, Nick Rossi, as Nick sings the United States National Anthem. First Selectman Jim Marpe described the brave acts that Rossi performed during the war, adding that he was a “relative newcomer to Westport and an active member of our Senior Center.” After Rossi’s wife passed away, he moved to the Westport community with his son Paul Rossi, his wife Marguerite, and their three children.
A Tradition Returns as the Community Marches in the Memorial Day Parade
Members of Westport Little League wave from the boot of a vintage Mercedes-Benz as they pass by Town Hall this morning.
Winners Announced for Memorial Day Parade Floats
Best Development of a Theme
League of Women Voters
Best Youth Organization Float
Suzuki Music Schools
Most Creative Float
Westport Paddle Club
Best Community Organization float
Westport Rotary
Most Colorful Float
VFW Auxiliary 399
Best Overall Float
Y’s Men of Westport\Weston
Special “Pep Award”
Staples, Bedford Middle & Coleytown Middle School Bands
Memorial Day Parade Float Judges:
Betty Lou Cummings, Ruth Whelan, Diana Heisinger & Mary Ann Lindwall
Parade Master:
William (Bill) Vornkahl
The Memorial Day Parade Guide: Celebrating a Westport Tradition
The 2021 Westport Memorial Day Parade Route. Start: 9:00 AM [Saugatuck Elementary School]
End: 10:30 AM [Memorial Day Ceremony, Veteran’s Green]
2021 Parade Marshall: Nicholas Rossi, WWII Veteran
2021 Float Contest Theme: Honoring Women Veterans
Line of March:
Honor Division
Col. John Chester Fife & Drum Corps
Westport Police Department
Westport Volunteer EMS
Grand Marshal Nicholas Rossi
World War II Veterans
1st Division
Dignitaries - RTM Members
Westport Community Band
Connecticut Veterans Honor Guard
Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 - Veterans of Foreign Wars
August Matthias Post 63 - American Legion
VFW Auxiliary 399 Westport Float
2nd Division
Nash Drum Corps
Westport Fire Department
Y's Men of Westport/Weston
Westport Baseball – Hawks
Westport Little League Baseball
Westport Little League - Blue Jays
Westport PAL Boys and Girls Lacrosse
Westport Soccer Association
Staples High School Marching Band
Bedford Middle School Marching Band
Coleytown Middle School Marching Band
Staples Tuition Grants
Staples Rugby Club
Assumption Church - Knights of Columbus Council #3688
Suzuki Music Schools
St. Paul Christian School
Westport Woman's Club
3rd Division
Girl Scouts
The League of Women Voters of Westport
Boy Scouts of America
The United Methodist Church of Westport & Weston
Builders Beyond Borders
Westport Paddle Club
Westport Library
Westport Weston Family YMCA
Junior Colonial Fife & Drum Corps of Westbrook, CT