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10/14/2020 09:30 AMVeterans Memorial Green in Deep River, which currently honors veterans who fought in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and Korea, has stood for decades as a reminder of the sacrifices made to protect and serve the community. A project of the town’s Veterans Green Monument Committee that seeks to honor the veterans of Deep River who have served in conflicts not yet recognized by the monument recently received approval from the town’s Board of Selectmen (BOS).
The project, which will upgrade the brick platform at the monument, is being spearheaded by Veterans Green Monument Committee Chair Richard Nagot. It includes excavating the current bricks of the platform, inscribing the names of servicemen and women into granite blocks, and having the blocks installed.
Servicemen and -women who are eligible to have their names inscribed on a block must have lived in Deep River at the time of their enlistment and have the appropriate paperwork denoting an honorable discharge. A bronze plaque will also be installed at the site.
Nagot appeared before the BOS on Sept. 22 to ask for approval on a $18,721 contract for the work required for the project. He discussed the timeline of the project to date and a shortfall of $5,000 needed to complete it.
The BOS granted approval on the project with the understanding that the contractor would hold the price for a year, while the committee launched a fundraising effort for the remaining funds.
“We’ve been a little apprehensive with COVID [because there are] a lot of people being out of work and businesses hurting but [the contractors] are willing to wait a year. I think we can get this done in a year,” he said at the meeting.
The project was first conceptualized many years ago by the late Edmund “Ed” Negrelli, a veteran and the former chairman of the Veterans Green Monument Committee, Nagot said. Other individuals and groups in town such as the Deep River Historical Society and American Legion Post 61 have been involved in trying to move the project forward over the years.
“It seems entirely appropriate to honor them this way with some type of permanent remembrance,” said Deep River American Legion Post 61 Commander Eileen Richard.
“Whether or not you died in service or you made other sacrifices, it’s hard to say what those sacrifices were. Maybe it was loss of function in an arm, leg, or it might be that you have [post traumatic stress disorder]…They made sacrifices when other people, truthfully, did not,” she said.
“I feel I owe it to a lot of good friends of mine to get it done. This is their dream,” said Nagot, who is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and also a youth officer for Post 61, implementing various veterans youth programs for students throughout the Region 4 School District.
“All of the work that has been done at the memorial has been strictly volunteer work and through donations. It has not cost a dime of tax dollars. We have approximately $14,000 left in the [Veterans Green Monument] Fund and we’re looking at close to $19,000 for this project. I would like to get more for maintenance and upkeep and once these 14 people get discharged, for them to get their brick without any cost to them,” said Nagot
Nagot said that he currently has the names of 62 veterans who are eligible to have their names inscribed on a granite block for installation at the site, although 14 of them are still on active duty and won’t be able to participate until their honorable discharge from service.
Other names may also be added, he said, as he goes through a box of military paraphernalia given to him by Negrelli’s daughter.
“I am going to have to go through” the names, Nagot said. “She gave me a treasure chest. Her father was meticulous.”
Contributions can be mailed to: Deep River Veterans Memorial Green Fund, Deep River Town Hall, 174 Main Street, Deep River, CT 06417.