BOS approves Wall of Honor Phase V, Veterans Grave Committees
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
At the August 5, 2026 Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting veterans were a big topic of discussion. Not only was the next phase of the Wall of Honor on the agenda, so was the formation of a new Stafford Veterans Grave Committee.
The board reviewed a proposed policy for the Stafford Veterans Grave Committee Policy which can be read in full in the meeting minutes, but the purpose pretty much says it all: “To establish clear municipal procedures for identifying, maintaining, and funding the care of wartime veterans' graves and neglected burial grounds, ensuring full compliance with Public Act No. 26-111 and applicable Connecticut General Statutes.”
This new state mandate does come with funding, but the policy provides for other funding mechanisms as well: ”If private individuals or cemetery trustees fail to pay for maintenance, the municipality will cover the cost using local appropriations or state grant funding (C.G.S. § 19a-308b).”
According to Richard Shaffer, who spoke on behalf of the proposal, there are 22 cemeteries in Stafford and 14 of them have Veterans in them. Ultimately the selectmen unanimously approved the policy as presented and appointed John Soucy, Elizabeth Dunay and Richard Shaffer to the committee.
Dunay was also on hand to talk about the fifth phase of Stafford’s Wall of Honor, and bring another committee together. In addition to Dunay and Soucy, Robert Titus, Joadi Rummel, Susan Phillips and alternate members Judith Titus and Shaffer will round out the committee.
During this phase, more names will be added to the monument, including veterans from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, as well as the War of 1812. In addition, this is the chance for people who may have missed the opportunity to add their names in the past to be honored on the wall. The selectmen unanimously approved the committee and the members.
