The 16th Annual Saluting Service will be held on Thursday, November 6th at the Canal Dock Boathouse in New Haven. This year’s event will continue the tradition of bringing the community together to honor those who have gone above-and-beyond to improve the lives of Connecticut’s Veterans and explore issues that are important to our Veteran and legal communities.
This year’s event will also feature a scintillating conversation with General Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau (retired).
We are thrilled to be honoring:
- GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, Veterans Justice Award,
- McCarter & English, Pro Bono Partnership Award
- Attorney Mary-Christy Fisher, Founders Award, and
- VA CT’s Monty H Gada, LICSW, Capt. Celine A. Finn Award.
Read more about each honoree below.
ABOUT SALUTING SERVICE
Saluting Service is one of our largest benefits, helping us raise critical funds to ensure that all who served in our U.S. Military have access to justice and the resources they need to overcome legal barriers to housing, healthcare, income, and recovery. With your support, we are hoping to raise at least $100,000 this year.
Congratulate Our Honorees with a Program Ad
This year we will produce a full color program book which will be distributed to each guest and include limited opportunities for advertising.
To reserve your ad, contact Patrick J Dunn, Deputy Director of Development and Communications using the button below.
All ads are due October 17th.
ADVERTISING OPTIONS:
Full Page Ad (5.5W x 8.5H) | $500
Half Page Ad (5W x 3.875H) | $375
Quarter Page Ad (2.375W x 3.875H) | $200
Meet Our Honorees and speakers
General Daniel R. Hokanson
2025 Featured Speaker
Retired General Daniel R. Hokanson served as the 29th Chief of the National Guard Bureau and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he served as a military adviser to the President, Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and was the Department of Defense’s official channel of communication to the Governors and State Adjutants General on all matters pertaining to the National Guard. He was responsible for ensuring the more than 453,000 Army and Air National Guard personnel are accessible, capable and ready to protect the homeland and provide combat ready resources to the Army and Air Force.
General Hokanson served previously as the Director of the Army National Guard, and earlier as the 11th Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau.
General Hokanson graduated from the United States Military Academy and served on active duty in Air Cavalry, Attack Helicopter and Aircraft Test organizations prior to joining the Oregon National Guard. He has commanded at the company, battalion and brigade combat team levels, and served as the 30th Adjutant General of the State of Oregon. General Hokanson also served as the Deputy Commander of U.S. Northern Command, and Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. His combat deployments include Operations JUST CAUSE, ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. He commanded the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Iraq and served as Chief of Staff for Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix in Afghanistan. General Hokanson was also a member of the United States World Helicopter Team and founded the National Guard’s first Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) and Military Air Rescue Team (MART) program where he commanded nearly 100 air rescue and fire-fighting missions throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Read more here.
Attorney Mary-Christy Fisher
2025 Founders Award
Christy Fisher has a long-term commitment to public interest law, working in Connecticut and Washington, D.C. as a legal services attorney, clinical law instructor, and consultant on the provision of legal services.
Before joining the CVLC staff, Christy worked in the Lower Naugatuck Valley and New Haven as part of New Haven Legal Assistance Association, and served as a Program Officer with the Legal Services Corporation in D.C. As a clinical instructor of law, she has conducted programs ranging from consumer bankruptcy and community lawyering to her most recent position with the Veterans Clinic at Quinnipiac University’s School of Law.
In 2022, Christy received the Connecticut Bar Association’s Charles J. Parker Legal Services Award, in recognition of her “abiding interest in and dedication to the delivery of legal services to the disadvantaged in Connecticut.”
Christy Fisher retired in February 2025. In honor of her retirement Connecticut Veterans Legal Center launched the Christy Fisher Legal Fellowship, read more here.
Monty H Gada, LICSW
2025 Capt. Celine A. Finn Award
Monty H Gada, LICSW, Program Supervisor HUD-VASH, VACT Healthcare System.
Monty H Gada is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker residing in MA. He earned his Undergraduate degree in Psychology from UMASS-Amherst and his Master of Social Work degree from Springfield College. Monty has been a practicing clinician for over 22 years specializing in co-occurring disorders, initially serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness and living under the federal poverty level.
He first joined the Veterans Health Administration in 2014, while living in NY, as the SUD Specialist for the Bronx VA HUD-VASH Program and has remained in federal service ever since then. Shortly after relocating back to MA, Monty was offered the opportunity to join the Newington VA HUD-VASH Program as a Social Work Supervisor.
In his current role, he works directly with Veterans as well as supervises and helps manage a team of Social Workers and Peer Support Specialists, including a Nurse and Occupational Therapist, all of whom focus their efforts on supporting Veterans in their transition from homelessness to permanent stable housing. Another important aspect of this role involves collaborating closely with community partners and stakeholders to uphold the commitment VA has made to ending Veteran homelessness.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders
2025 Veterans Justice Award
For 45 years, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders—GLAD Law—has pursued cutting-edge legal strategies to ensure people across the country can live and thrive, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, or HIV status.
In January 2025, the current administration took little time before attacking the honor of Transgender service members through Executive Order 14183. GLAD Law was ready to fight back, partnering with National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) to challenge the unlawful order the very next day in what became Talbott v USA. GLAD Law and NCLR also led the legal challenge to the Trump administration’s first transgender military ban, issued in 2017.
As of May 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the ban on Trans Americans serving in the military can continue despite the many legal cases, including Talbott, still pending. But GLAD Law continues to fight—not only for current service members who are impacted but for the rights of all Americans to serve our country.
This Award will be accepted by Michael Haley, Staff Attorney, and Major Nathalie Richter, New Hampshire Air National Guard, Plaintiff in Talbott v USA, on behalf of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.
McCarter & English
2025 Pro Bono Partnership Award
“We are proud of our firmwide veterans’ pro bono practice and, in particular, our enduring partnership with the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center.”
One of the oldest law firms in the country, McCarter & English is also one of Connecticut Veteran Legal Center’s most committed supporters. Over the years McCarter & English have provided thousands of hours of excellent pro bono legal services to our clients, bringing the same skill and relationship-driven culture that their firm is nationally known for to benefit those who are most in need.
This year McCarter & English have gone even further. Through their pro bono representation, we have been able to advocate for our first client in front of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This client deserves to have their story told, and we could not do it without the excellent advocacy of attorneys Jessica Bowman, Geoffrey Lynott, and the incredible McCarter & English team.
This Award will be accepted by Geoffrey Lynott, Associate, and Jessica Bowan, Associate, on behalf of McCarter & English, LLP.
Past honorees and speakers
Ben Kesling
2024 Keynote Speaker
Nikki Kelsey
2024 Founders Award
Kevin Lenehan
2024 Founders Award
Suisman Shapiro
2024 Pro Bono Partnership Award
Morgan Gray
2024 Veteran Speaker
MinorityVets
2023 Veterans Justice Award
Cindy Johnson
2023 Founders Award
Jason DeViva, Ph.D.
2023 Capt. Celine A. Finn Award
John “Stew” Lahey
2023 Veteran Speaker
Alison M. Weir
2022 Keynote Speaker
Richard Brookshire
2022 Veterans Justice Award
The Errera Center
2022 Capt. Celine A. Finn Award
