Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz tomorrow will conduct the last of two ceremonies honoring World War II veterans from Manchester during a Public Service Awards ceremony at Manchester High School on June 30, 2009. Tomorrow's ceremony in Manchester will honor more than 80 WWII veterans whose last names begin with the letters L-Z while another ceremony for names earlier in the alphabet was conducted on June 10th. The second Manchester ceremony marks the 105th Public Service Award presentation to veterans of World War II by the Office of the Secretary of the State.
"After summoning the courage to defeat tyranny, our World War II veterans had the courage and strength to change our country for the better," Bysiewicz said, "They did it without great fanfare - without seeking recognition - never asking to be honored. Today we salute them as the greatest generation."
Secretary Bysiewicz will present each veteran with an award in recognition of their service during the Second World War and invite the veterans to share their stories with friends and family attending the event. The Manchester Public Service Awards ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Bailey Auditorium at Manchester High School, 134 East Middle Tpke. in Manchester with refreshments to follow the ceremony.
Tuesday's event is part of an on-going effort by the Secretary of the State's Office to recognize volunteers and public servants. The Office of the Secretary of the State Public Service Awards Program began in 2001. Since then, the office has honored more than 16,000 people in Connecticut for their commitment to public service, including elected officials, professional firefighters, volunteer coaches, community and youth volunteers, board and commission members, emergency service workers and elections officials.
