Despite the rainy day, supporters and members of Newtown’s VFW Post 308 came out to pay tribute to all who served and are serving at a Veterans Day ceremony conducted in the post’s gazebo.

The ceremony marked the 104th Veterans Day, which was declared in the honor of the end of World War I, which ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

Post Commander Paul Galietti decided to show off a pack of mementos of his time as a solider during Operation: Desert Storm, since the rain precluded the usual laying of the wreaths.

“What is a veteran?” asked Galietti. “A veteran is so many things.”

Galietti recalled that he was called up to service the day after Thanksgiving in 2001, while he was in the Connecticut Police Academy. He was only given the weekend to leave his old life behind and report for duty the following Monday. He recalled he was 23 at the time, but many of the other soldiers he was serving with were 17, 18, or 19.

“They were only a few years out of high school,” said Galietti. “If you go back five years most of them were probably playing video games. They were young men and women, who were doing things most would not be doing at that age, like writing a will, and saying goodbye to loved ones, possibly for the last time. To a young mind, that’s disheartening.”

Galietti recalled, on his flight to Iraq, swiping an airline pillow, a small indiscretion that paid off during his tour. Many who did not think to do the same did not have pillows, and he was especially grateful after a small accident caused a fire in his sleeping bag, right where his head would lay. The pillow ensured that he was still able to sleep comfortably by placing it over the burn.

Galietti recalled working 12-hour days serving in an underground command center, before six more hours on perimeter watch, then six hours of sleep.

“For most, 40 hours is a work week,” said Galietti. “If you work a little overtime, that’s a rough week. If you work two hours extra each day, that’s 50 hours. If you work four hours extra every day, that’s a 60 hour work week and it’s a killer. If you work doubles every day, that’s 80 hours. We were working 126-hour work weeks every week. This is what veterans do.”

Galietti showed off a number of artifacts from his time serving. He showed off his rucksack, his helmet, the bayonet for his rifle, his web gear, among other equipment he lugged around every day as a soldier. Additionally, he showed off items such as an Iraqi tanker’s helmet, an Iraqi soldier’s uniform shirt, and an Iraqi helmet.

Also speaking at the ceremony were First Selectman Dan Rosenthal and State Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R-106).

Rosenthal thanked all veterans for their service, as well as those still serving.

“They gave so we could live in the greatest country on Earth,” said Rosenthal.

Rosenthal noted he was not a fan of social media. He said that veterans did not fight for the country so that we could fight with each other online.

Rosenthal also repeated an old adage, “If you eat today, thank a farmer. If it’s on your table, thank a trucker. If you ate in peace, thank a veteran.”

According to Rosenthal, one-quarter of the Newtown Police Force is comprised of veterans.

“I think compared to the national average, that’s well higher than normal,” said Rosenthal. “These veterans came back to our town and found a way to keep serving the community.”

He ended by saying, “If you want to thank a soldier, be the type of American worth fighting for.”

Bolinsky expressed his gratitude to veterans and then said he was going to go “off the usual script.” He echoed Rosenthal’s dislike of the current divisive atmosphere in the US and said we are “arguing over nothing.”

“The ties that bind us exist in you,” said Bolinsky.

Bolinsky said that every time he attends an event with veterans he is “humbled.” His father and many of his family members served. Bolinsky himself graduated from high school that “year after draft cards were no longer a thing.” He said that veterans’ service have “allowed us to speak, gather, achieve, and find the American Dream.”

“Everyone that served defends freedom,” said Bolinsky. “Nothing came free. I’d love to see our society come back to the table and stop talking trash about things that don’t matter.”

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.