Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

Westporter's all love our Memorial Day Parade, seeing friends and people we know marching through our town; seeing the amazingly crafted floats, hearing the band and admiring all our athletic teams, our police, fire and ET's who protect us. But once the parade comes to and end several hundred parade-goers walk to Veteran's Green for the most important part of our Memorial Day celebration; honoring the veterans who bravely fought to protect our freedom, with some making the ultimate sacrifice.

This year one of those vets we honored was Grand Marshal Ben Pepper, (above left) who is 99 years old and who fought in the Battle Of The Bulge, one of the largest and bloodiest battles of World War II. British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill described it this way, "This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory." Ben Pepper was one of those warriors.

The veteran we also honored and who has become the face of Westport's Memorial Day Commemoration, Korean War veteran Bill Vornkahl who has been the driving force for the event for half a century. Many other highly decorated veterans of our military service held positions of honor at the ceremony and also watched from the audience.

Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.

The service began with a moving invocation delivered by Rabbi Greg Wall (above, right) of Westport's Beit Chaverim Synagogue who spoke eloquently about the meaning of this day, about the horror of war and the loss of loved ones and of the bravery of those who served. He credited the hard work of VFW Post 399 who's volunteers work so hard each year to make this solemn event achieve it's goal of remembering and honoring the men and women who have protected our freedom and preserving our way of life.

Town officials were also in attendance as was Congressman Jim Himes, and First Selectwoman Jen Tooker who addressed the crowd expressing her gratitude. A wreath was laid at the base of the permanent Memorial. The Staples High School band then performed which was followed by two band members playing Taps with one trumpeter playing the melody and the second one solemnly echoing the first.