By Sarah Opdahl

An active, welcoming group of forty-five military veterans and friends make up the current membership of the New Fairfield Veterans Association (NFVA). Members happily meet both formally and informally, go on field trips, plan annual events, work with others in the community to offer service, and provide resources to help fellow local veterans. A steady, dedicated presence in town, the group makes an impact in so many ways, both subtle and overt.

At their monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center—all former military and friends should feel free to join—those in attendance spend a good amount of time planning for future activities they will run or take part in.  NFVA Commander Bob Ballas explains, “We like to involve all members in the planning process for our upcoming events,” ranging from the local ceremonies on Memorial and Veterans Day that the group hosts to fun outings, such as golfing. “We begin every meeting with the Pledge Of Allegiance, followed by a moment of silence for members no longer with us.  Afterward, the Chaplain will conduct a prayer, usually asking for protection for our military personnel currently in harm’s way,” Ballas shared. Occasionally, there will be a guest speaker and “sometimes a member will put on a program about their experiences in the service.”

With a busy annual cycle, the NFVA’s calendar is anchored by the Town Memorial Day Ceremony and the Veterans Day Celebration at Veterans Memorial Park, which they host. “We believe it is our obligation, as the only organized veterans organization in town, to keep the spirit of Memorial Day and Veterans Day alive and in front of citizens lest we forget or take for granted the cost in terms of lives to maintain this experiment called government ‘of the people, by the people, for the people,’” Ballas reflected. In addition, NFVA Vice Commander TJ Kronen said, “It is our honor to lead off the Lions Club Independence Day Parade every year to set the tone and to remind parade-goers that we have our freedom and independence because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. We also perform a short ceremony on December 7th in honor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, also at the Park. In May, we replace cemetery flags at four town cemeteries with help from local Scouts.” He went on, “we believe in involving young people in as many of our activities as possible.” In addition to the flag project, Scouts carry the NFVA banner at the parade and perform patriotic songs and Taps at the Memorial and Veterans Day events. The high school’s Civil Air Patrol has also participated in many events.

Beyond these formal occasions, there are many group activities planned, such as a trip to Danbury’s ice rink for which members receive free hockey game tickets, plus tokens for food and beverages.  “Many of our members attend, as a group, local sportsmen’s dinners and golf tournaments,” Ballas added, saying, “We also have had many members take advantage of the PGA Hope Program.  This is a program where the veteran attends golf lessons one day per week for five weeks given by a professional golf instructor.  In the sixth week, the veteran gets a free set of golf clubs, a round of golf, and a banquet.” After the lessons, the veteran is then assigned to a team in the Metropolitan League—each of a dozen teams has its own home course and veterans pay no fees. For ten weeks, each team has a home and an away game against opponents at the other courses—and has a wonderful opportunity and experience throughout the process. NFVA members also enjoy having a family picnic in August and a holiday party in December.

An important service the NFVA provides, upon request, is to perform a military funeral service.  Ballas explained, “We will perform a rifle salute, play Taps, then fold and present the burial flag to the next of kin.” He stressed that it is important to specify that you would like this to be handled by the NFVA, otherwise funeral directors “automatically call the State to provide a funeral service unit from the National Guard,” a service that will cost money and not be handled by local community members. NFVA provides this service for local military members free of charge.

The NFVA runs many fundraisers throughout the year, in part to help fund the activities above, but “the majority of all donations go to maintaining our three vintage (1943) WW II vehicles,” Kronen explained. “Lack of activity, in some cases, can be worse than too much usage, oil and water leaks, etc. But we are starting to get more requests for displaying the vehicles, combined with frequent trips around town which should help.” There are also purchases needed, such as branch flags and they recently upgraded their ceremonial flag poles. Kronen went on, “Occasionally, we need to have our Quartermaster replenish components for our Honor Guard uniforms.” Current fundraisers include selling fire blankets for $20 and United States 3’x5’ flags, which are made in the US and amazingly sell for only $10 each.

With NFVA members newly appointed to the state/town government Veteran’s Representative positions, Ballas and Milton Craven, the group is hoping that local veterans will “come forward to let us help them get answers to their questions; one vet talking to another vet.  In all probability we have all had the same questions at some point in time.  There are many programs available to veterans at the federal and state levels.  Trying to navigate the mountains of information can be frustrating so before you give up, talk to us and we will try to point you in the right direction,” Ballas said. Their office is located on the first floor of the Senior Center, behind the kitchen. They are there most Mondays from 1:00- 3:00 p.m., or anyone can leave a message with the Senior Center’s front desk and an NFVA member will reach out.

Ballas and Kronen wanted to thank so many area organizations and businesses that have and continue to support the NFVA. NF Public Works, Yellow Lab Landscaping, and Halas Farm Market recently worked with the group to provide the garden boxes on Gillotti Road at the intersection across from St. Edwards Church. They also praised The Lions Club, the Community Service Club, the New Fairfield Thrift Store, Stop & Shop, Johnny’s Market, The Goodie Shoppe, Hahlawah Sporting Club, New Fairfield Press, and the Town Tribune for their support. And, “of course, most importantly, we thank the townspeople of New Fairfield for their generous and continued support.” 

The door is open at their monthly meeting and people are welcome. Several years ago, they began admitting non-veterans (Friends) to their ranks to give residents an opportunity to honor family members and loved-ones who are serving or once served by joining the group, in a manner similar to a police or fire auxiliary and, accordingly, non-vets can participate in everything members do but they cannot hold office, as those positions are reserved for veterans. Ballas and Kronen sincerely hope local vets and friends will feel free to reach out to the NFVA about available resources and will take part in events. And, if the monthly meeting isn’t the initial introduction people want, they encourage anyone to stop by Johnny’s Market between 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays where at least a few NFVA members will certainly be having coffee together.