'Helps fill the soul.' Families find comfort, connection at State Veterans Cemetery on Veterans Day
Many people across Connecticut spent Veterans Day at parades and ceremonies, but others marked the holiday in a more personal way, visiting loved ones at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.
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On a day set aside to honor those who served, many families arrived at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown hours before the annual ceremony for a quieter moment of remembrance.
"I think Veterans Day is extremely important and that importance should never be lost," said Jeanette Varkal. "I'm here to honor my late husband Frederick A. Damiani. He served in the U.S. Air Force in the early 60's."
Damiani is one of the more than 16,000 veterans and family members buried here--each grave was adorned with an American flag.
"I've been just meditating, remembering him. It's a lot of reflection," Varkal shared.
Some visitors knelt in prayer. Others kissed a loved one's headstone or were overcome with emotion.
"My dad's a World War II hero," said Robert Flanagan, Sr., who followed in his father's footsteps, serving in the Navy and Army. "Five generations of service in my family. We all served. We're proud of it."
Flanagan returns to the cemetery often.
"Every Veterans Day, then Memorial Day, and I try to get down here at least once a month," Flanagan explained.
Patrick Dietz and his mother traveled two hours to visit his father's final resting place. Michael Dietz was in the Navy and spent six years aboard submarines during Vietnam.
"He was a sonar tech and was very very proud of representing the country and defending the country," Carol Dietz told News 12 about her husband. "We come here for peace, for respect, and it's such a lovely place."
"It's a good day for remembrance and just to really take some space and think about him and all he did for us and all he did for the country. It helps fill the soul a little bit," Patrick Dietz shared.
