Memorial Day 2025
We know that Memorial Day can be a difficult time. If you need someone to talk to, contact the Veterans Crisis Line 24/7 at 988 + 1 or texting 838255.
Heartbreakingly, many of the veterans we meet die before they receive the benefits they deserved—benefits that may have saved their lives and would have certainly made their final months and years easier.
Today we remember those who were lost in the battlefield, and we also want to recognize the Veterans who have passed away. Our staff has shared a few remembrances below. May these Veterans’ stories live on and help others to heal and fight for the benefits they deserve.
Memorial Day Reflections
I represented a client, Frank, who was lost to the system. I was, and am, still gutted by his loss. Frank was charming, funny, full of wit and vigor. He was also struggling for decades with the invisible scars of service. We met in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and through my years of representation, he grew to be an odd friend. I miss him dearly, and think about him in everything that I do. I'm still going for the gold, Frank. I hope you're resting easy.
There is a picture of Stew, Juliet, and me that plays on the screen at CRRC. When Stew first passed away, it was hard for me to walk by that screen and see Stew so happy and vibrant in that picture and it would make me miss him and his laugh all over again. Stew lived his last few years to the fullest, he held his loved ones close, he visited spots on his bucket list, ate foods he had never tried before, regularly visited the ocean that he loved, and generally lived. I have come to realize that he went out on his own terms. Now I can walk by that picture and smile and remember this great man for whom I was so blessed to be able to do my small part of making his life better.
One Navy Veteran who passed away [in 2023] served his country and lived his life with courage and resilience. After his service, he did his best to build a life as a civilian, though the world he returned to off-ship often seemed indifferent to his struggle. We at CVLC honor his memory by continuing to advocate for those who have served, ensuring that they receive the support and recognition they rightfully deserve.
I remember one Veteran I had the opportunity to help– his sense of humor and his regular expressions of gratitude. And the late-night philosophical voicemails I used to get. They are missed.
The client that I lost [in 2023] was someone who had an incredibly difficult life. They were incarcerated for the majority of the last twenty years, and passed away before their benefits could be granted. There was no one to substitute in, and so their claim died with them. I honor them in the work that we do, and the importance of improving the system that so terribly failed them. Their status as an incarcerated person and disabled veteran did not define them, and I keep them in my thoughts this Memorial Day.
Give in honor or memory, to help the Veterans who need your help now.
Connecticut Veterans Legal Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which is funded through public and private sources. Your gift changes lives—thank you.