The public is invited to join the Men’s Breakfast Club at Newtown Senior Center, 14 Riverside Road, the first Thursday of every month, at 9 am. Breakfast sandwiches can be preordered by calling 203-270-4310, by noon the day before each program, at a cost of $2 per sandwich.

Breakfast camaraderie is followed by a speaker at 9:30 am.

On April 2, the Men’s Breakfast Club welcomes Mike Zacchea, who will talk about veterans issues and what is happening on the ground in Iraq now.

Mr Zacchea is the director and founder of the University of Connecticut Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, in 1990.

In March 2004, as a major, he deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom II. His team’s mission was to build, train, and lead in combat the first Iraqi army battalion trained by the US military. After an initial four-month training period, his adviser team led the Iraqi battalion in combat operations, for seven months.

During this time, the battalion participated in Operation Phantom Fury, the 2nd Battle of Fallujah. The battalion spent six weeks in urban combat, the longest of any deployed Iraqi unit, and accomplished a number of historical firsts for the Iraqi army.

Mr Zacchea is the recipient of several military awards, including the Bronze Star Medal (with Valor device) (with gold star in lieu of second award), a Purple Heart Medal, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, a Combat Action Ribbon, and numerous unit and campaign awards.

He was also the first, and at the time, only, American recognized by the Iraqi government by the Order of the Lion of Babylon. As a result of wounds suffered in Iraq, Mr Zacchea has been medically retired.

He serves on several veterans’ advisory boards for elected officials, and has been featured in several books and documentaries addressing the Iraq War, veterans issues, and Iraqi refugee issues.

On May 7, Dr Charles Yarish of the University of Connecticut Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology will be the guest speaker. Dr Yarish will present an introduction to seaweed aquaculture systems that are relevant to meeting market demands in Northeast America and improving water quality through nutrient bioextraction.

Dr Yarish has developed an internationally known laboratory for seaweed research and aquaculture, and has published extensively and has received numerous extramural grants and awards.