The Eleventh Hour
of the
Eleventh Day
 of the
Eleventh Month

A Time to Commemorate, Remember, and Reflect on the Sacrifices of Veterans

November 11, 2009

Veterans from Monroe, Easton, and other area towns were gathered for the annual Veterans' Day Ceremony at the Stepney Green.  They were joined by local officials and citizens to give thanks for the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform in the past and present.  Participating in the event was a contingent of Canadian airmen who are serving at Sikorsky Aircraft while the company builds helicopters for the Canadian Air Force.  They laid a wreath at the Stepney Green War Memorial and presented a plaque to The Sippin-Winspur American Legion Post 176. 

The plaque is pictured below.  Click on the image for a larger view.

Bartosz Szczypiorski Attends American Legion Boys State

Article by
Brian Kelly
Appeared in the Monroe Courier on May 7, 2009

You may not recognize the name Bartosz Szczypiorski in connection with Connecticut politics, but those of you who know Bartosz also know that, for a brief time this past summer he was State Senator and a member of the Federalist party.  Not familiar with the Federalist party?  Don’t be alarmed.  It is a fictitious political party set up as part of the two party mock government run by the American Legion each summer for competitively selected high school junior boys and girls.

The programs – The American Legion Boys State and Girls State – are two of the most respected and selective educational programs of government instruction for high school students in the nation.  For over 70 years the American Legion has conducted this workshop in government for deserving high school juniors.  In the words of Brian Kelly, the program chairman for the Town of Monroe, “There is no better way to assure the survival of our republic than to train our young people in the ideal and objectives of American Government.  Bartosz was the perfect candidate and performed extremely well in the program. “   According to Bartosz, “I went to the program expecting an interesting experience, and left the program permanently changed for the better.  The program was challenging, interesting and stressful, but all around fun.”  

Boy’s and Girl’s State are mythical states patterned after our local and state government.  The participants spend one week learning the political process and the duties of town, city and state officials.  Each participant is assigned to a town or city and a fictitious political party.  Elections are held for party officers, town/city officials, representatives and senators.  Connecticut government leaders at all levels visit during the one-week programs to instruct and to answer questions on all facets of the political process.  Bartosz certainly found the program to be “an experience like none other.  I was suspect when we were told at the beginning of the program that this would be a life changing experience.  I realized a week later that they were right.”  Both programs emphasize participation.  It is a hands-on learning-by-doing program that will immerse each participant in government and politics.

High School junior boys and girls interested in applying for selection to the American Legion Boy’s and Girl’s state should contact Mr. Ian Lowell at Masuk High School [(203) 452-5823 ext 3050] or Mr. Brian Kelly – Boys State chairman [(203) 268-2797].  This year’s programs will be held in June.  Interested students should be U.S. Citizens with a “C” average or better; have a genuine interest in government and citizenship; and demonstrate qualities of maturity, responsibility and leadership.

Our Canadian Brothers
were led by Canadian Air Force Major Tim Al-Mokey, who read aloud the touching poem, "In Flanders Fields" that was written near the end of World War I by Canadian Army Lt. Col. John McCrae, an army doctor, as he saw thousands of poppies growing in a artillery-blasted field where earlier soldiers had been horribly killed in battle.

Click Here for a copy of that poem and and explanation of why our American Legion Auxiliary Ladies sell red poppies on Memorial Day.  Or you can click on the Flag Day Ceremony page in the left menu bar and scroll to the bottom of that page.

Click Here for a larger copy of this flyer

For a link to the Connecticut American Legion Boys/Girls State Website, Click on the link below.

http://www.ct.legion.org/boystate.htm

Click Here for a larger copy of the 2010 Boys' State Candidate Resume

Sippin-Winspur American Legion Post No. 176
Monroe, CT 06468
uptwolate@earthlink.net