William Kegeles is an Air Force veteran and a member of the North Haven American Legion Post 76 who recognizes his invaluable work while serving with the United States Air Force. He is proud of his and other veterans’ experiences, not the least of which because of what it means to countless non-military civilians.

“The military is a privilege to serve and an honor to serve. If I had to do it all over again, I would, and I think that it’s necessary for people to realize that the freedoms that we have today are because of people who are in uniform. People whose responsibility has been his now and always will be to protect the freedoms that most of us take for granted.”

The son of a Navy veteran, William served his entire military career at the now-closed Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. A profile clip about him from an issue of the Hamden Chronicle dated Nov. 12, 1970, outlines his responsibilities as an aircraft dispatcher.

“Sgt. Kegeles processes flight plans, post schedules, of incoming and outgoing aircraft in addition to notifying the Federal Aeronautics Authority flight center at Florence, S.C. [South Carolina] of departing flight times along with routes and rate of speed of jet craft leaving the Myrtle Beach AFB [air force base] runway.”

Williams gave further elaboration on his responsibilities.

“We would get notification of any military installation that had a runway if a piece of equipment would go out. So that would have to be logged. Let’s say they were going from Myrtle Beach to MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. If they’re traveling at night, if the landing lights that light up the runway—if those went out, then the pilots flying out of Myrtle Beach would take a look at this printout…[they’ll say,] ‘maybe I won’t go there; maybe I’ll go over here.’ And then when the facilities are corrected, and they’re back in service, I would get a notice of that as well,” said William.

Following his services in the Air Force, William went on to graduate from Quinnipiac College (now University) with a Bachelor of Science in information systems. He worked a number of jobs related and unrelated to his degree, from working an all-night shift for the United States Post Office at Brewery Street in New Haven to being a director assistance operator with Southern New England Telephone. Finally, William worked in engineering for a cable company for 15 years prior to his retirement.

William made his way to American Legion Post 76 in North Haven around seven years ago, joining because of the uniting sense of community it would offer veterans such as himself.

“I felt that there would be a community of people who were doing this same kind of thing that I was doing,” he said.

That “same kind of thing” William refers to continues with the oath he and others in the military make that they will protect the United States, its people, and those around the world who are defenseless. It’s a commitment that touches all his colleagues at Post 76 and through their work in the community and the shared bond they have as former members of the Armed Forces. It’s especially a shared sense of camaraderie amongst those who served during the “very volatile” Vietnam era, such as himself, he said.

“No matter where we were, no matter what we did, whether you were in Vietnam, or Thailand, or Germany, or here, there’s that camaraderie that we were all doing what we had to do for a single purpose. And that purpose was protection of this country, protection of our Constitution, protection of other countries that maybe don’t have the wherewithal to defend themselves.”

The oath means his work with Post 76 sees him and other veterans make their presence known during Memorial Day, Veterans Day, opening the North Haven Fair, and visiting schools in town.

The oath has also carried over into his volunteer work with the Probus Club, helping to improve the lives of “children and young adults who have physical and mental disabilities,” said William. With Probus, he has done a myriad of civic work. This includes raising money for families who cannot afford to send their children to summer camps specifically for those with disabilities, has collected over 700 donated bicycles in the past six years, and has partnered with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to collect instruments for its music department.

“Within that music department, there is a separate department that deals strictly with PTSD, and the instruments go there. These vets are overjoyed,” he said.

William reflects on why it has been important for him to consistently give back to those around him.

“The reason I joined was that I’ve been very fortunate in my life. I’ve never really been sick. I’ve always had a roof over my head, clothes on my back. I’ve always had a place to live. I’ve been very fortunate. What I started to notice was there’s a whole segment of the population that doesn’t have what I have; that you and I may not think about the fact that every morning you get into a hot shower,” said William. “So I decided I think I need to give back.”