By Elizabeth Barhydt
We only meant to stop for coffee.
But outside Zumbach’s Coffee on Saturday morning, I saw two men at a folding table, surrounded by flags, poppies, and the quiet dignity of purpose. Their table wasn’t flashy. No bunting. No fanfare. Just a handwritten sign, a donation jar, and the calm assurance that they were doing something that mattered.
“We will definitely make a donation,” I said. And then stayed to talk.
The two men — Mike McGlinn, Post Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 653, and Russ Kimes, the town’s Emergency Management Director and a veteran of the Iraq War — were there on behalf of a small and mighty local group.
“We’re here on behalf of the Howard M. Bossa and Peter C. Langenus Post,” Kimes explained. “Small post — we’ve got maybe 40 members, and a dozen really active.”
Their mission? Simple, solemn, and profound: to place a flag at every veteran’s grave in New Canaan before Memorial Day, and a wreath at Christmastime. On Saturday, May 24 at 8:00 a.m., volunteers will gather to participate in this act of remembrance.
The volunteers marshaled by Frances Wilson cover Lakeview Cemetery, where hundreds of flags are carefully placed by hand. At the 14 historic cemeteries across New Canaan, members of the New Canaan Fire Company #1 lead the effort — and it’s a labor of historical devotion as much as civic duty. “We are aware of 82 Veterans buried in those 14 cemeteries,” said Wilson. Some headstones are worn by time, others inaccessible, but the firefighters honor them all. “They place flags at the entrances or gates as well as at each gravesite that is still distinguishable. By doing so, they honor and remember all those interred there, whether their names are legible or not.”
These burial grounds are steeped in history — the oldest veterans interred date back not just to the Revolutionary War, but to the French and Indian War (1754–1763).
Then on Monday, May 26 at 9:00 a.m., the community will gather again for the Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony at Lakeview Cemetery. And on Saturday, June 7 at 8:00 a.m., volunteers will reconvene to collect the flags — completing the cycle of honor.
As noted by Frances Wilson, who helps lead the effort on behalf of Post 653, these traditions depend entirely on community involvement — both from those willing to volunteer their time and those able to contribute financially.
The December wreath effort is immense. “It’s 1,300 wreaths now,” said McGlinn. “There’s more people dying now. Every year there’s a couple more.”
The wreaths don’t place themselves. Nor do they pay for themselves. “Those Christmas wreaths cost us $15,000,” McGlinn explained. “That’s where this money goes.” Every flag, every wreath — comes from donations. “Fifteen grand,” said Kimes. “Every year, we need to get that 15 grand.”
If a flag is ever missed, the response is immediate. “When myself or Lakeview is made aware of a missed Veteran, either the staff at Lakeview or myself or Chris Wilson (my husband) place a flag or a wreath,” said Wilson. “Our mission is that no known Veteran is to be forgotten. We have been shepherding this effort for the past 15 years, because of a promise to a beloved friend and former VFW Commander, Peter Langenus.”
The effort is community-powered in more ways than one. Some flag stands are donated by Ace Hardware. “They did it last year too,” said McGlinn. “I went to the post office, and there was a box for me.” And some of the most thoughtful contributions come from the youngest citizens. McGlinn proudly described an Eagle Scout project that built 20 wooden display cases for storing veterans’ burial flags, and even created a patriotic mailbox-style depository for retired flags — to be placed in front of the Firehouse.
Two of those cases have already been gifted to honor the memory of Michael Moriel Aldrich, a West Point graduate and Army veteran who later led Force Protection Inc., and Michael Joseph McDonagh, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and longtime New Canaan resident.
The VFW Post meets monthly at the Masonic Lodge on Main Street — a dollar-a-year lease that gives them “a space with chairs,” as McGlinn put it. “We’re not your typical VFW Post that has a bar and everything else,” he said. “Just a group of people trying to do good things.”
Kimes, who served in Iraq in 2003, represents the next generation of veterans keeping the tradition alive — not only through his work with the VFW but in nearly every civic channel in New Canaan. He’s the town’s Emergency Management Director, a volunteer firefighter, and a steadfast presence on committees like the Fire Commission and the Fourth of July Planning Committee. “I do a lot of things,” he said with a smile. “Keeps me busy.”
His family’s service runs deep. Kimes is a third-generation New Canaanite — his father and grandfather both served in the military, and during the early 2000s, he and his brother were deployed at the same time. “My brother was in Afghanistan when I was in Iraq,” he recalled. “My poor mother.”
That local-rootedness shapes everything he does. Whether coordinating emergency response or making sure a flag is placed on the right grave, Kimes sees his work as part of the fabric of New Canaan itself. “This is my hometown,” he said. “You serve where you live.”
Post 653 may be losing members from the World War II generation — “there’s only a handful of us left from post-Vietnam who even live in town,” Kimes said — but the mission endures.
Groups to Thank for Flag Placement:
Michael Dinan of the NewCanaanite
Lakeview Cemetery: Pete Passaro, Kelly Robb, and the entire maintenance crew
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Boy Scout Troops 70, 45, and 31
Cub Scout Packs 70, 45, and 7
Girl Scouts of New Canaan
Service League of Boys (SLOBS)
Daughters of the American Revolution
National Charity League, New Canaan Chapter
New Canaan Fire Company #1
The Exchange Club of New Canaan
Young Americans for Freedom Club
New Canaan Democratic Town Committee
New Canaan Republican Town Committee
And the many individual volunteers who come each year for this important service
To support VFW Post 653’s annual initiatives, visit vfwpost653.square.site
