koconnor@wiltonvillager.com

WILTON— Wilton's annual Memorial Day parade is on Monday, May 26, and parade officials are encouraging veterans to come out and celebrate their day.

"Honor Their Sacrifice" is this year's parade theme, and it describes what the event is all about, said parade planning committee member Gilbert Hauff.

The honorary chair for the parade this year will be First Selectman William Brennan, who served as a captain in the United States Air Force. The chairman of the parade planning committee this year is Jeffrey Turner, who was a commander in the United States Naval Reserve, serving as a surface warfare officer and a helicopter control officer onboard the battleship U.S.S. Iowa from 1986 to 1990.

Ron Toothaker, who was a major in the U.S. Army and served as a combat infantryman with the U.S. Army's Special Forces during the Vietnam War, will be the parade's grand marshall. Toothaker was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Medal for serving in Vietnam.

Matt Eversmann — a former first class sergeant in the U.S. Army who was deployed all over the world, including the civil war-torn streets of Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 — will be the keynote speaker for the event. According to Tom Briody, a parade planning committee member, Eversmann is a very important addition to this years Memorial Day Parade.

"I think that having Eversmann speak at the parade will attract a lot more people to come and watch the parade," he said. "Eversmann is highly recognized nationally and a celebrated hero."

Although all of the groups and floats for the parade have not been finalized yet, every year there has been a gradual increase in those who attend the parade, Briody said.

"We are always trying to get more people to be in the parade and also to watch it," said Briody. "This year there seems to be a lot of spirit in the town for Memorial Day. I think people tend to respect the military and recognize their importance."

The parade will include musical talent from Wilton school bands and the Pyramid Scriner bagpipe band. A new addition this year will be a truck towing a helicopter during the parade, which is donated by Knapp tree service.

"This parade is honoring the veterans who lost their lives and were injured," said Karen Strickland, a planning committee member. "Each year we try to do something a little better for the veterans."

According to Strickland, there are around 15 people on the parade planning committee and six Wilton Rotary Club volunteers who help out with the parade.

"There are a lot of different aspects to the parade and we need a lot of help to get it all done," she said.

The parade will start at 10 a.m. at 21 River Road in Wilton Center and continue up past the Old Town Hall to the Wilton Congregational Church, ending at the Hillside Cemetery. At the Hillside Cemetery, speeches will be given and music will be played to celebrate Memorial Day. There will also be hot dogs and drinks served after the parade by the Wilton parks and rec. committee, according to Strickland.

"I think this parade is a great experience and tradition for Wilton," said Strickland. "It's important to let the younger generations know what these veterans did, they are real heroes."