Stratford Resident Bill O’Brien Selected
Thursday, January 23rd, 5 p.m.
Gold Star Families Memorial Auditorium
Governor Ned Lamont Announcement
A Stratford resident is among the 14 veterans selected as part of the 20th class of honorees for induction into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Tuesday.
The hall is the state’s official tribute recognizing former members of the United States Armed Forces who are from Connecticut and have continued making significant impacts in their communities after leaving military service.
This year’s class will be celebrated during an induction ceremony that will be held at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23 in the Gold Star Families Memorial Auditorium on the campus of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs in Rocky Hill.
“There are so many veterans from Connecticut who have continued their generosity even after leaving military service by volunteering in their communities and providing leadership that has helped improve the lives of others in many ways,” Lamont said in a statement. “The Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame is a way we can celebrate the many veterans in our state who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and have truly made a lasting impact. I congratulate the 14 veterans who are being inducted this year and I thank each of them to everything they have provided to our nation and the State of Connecticut.”
The local inductee is (biography prepared by the state):
William F. O’Brien Jr. of Stratford (United States Marine Corps)
Bill O’Brien has been a Connecticut resident all his life, mostly in Stratford where he still resides. He is proud of each of his three adult children and his four grandchildren. He is also proud that after graduating from Fairfield Prep, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp.
Mr. O’Brien’s most outstanding memories of his Marine Corp experience was his tour in Vietnam in 1967 to 1968 and serving with the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Yorktown, while they recovered the crew of the Apollo 8. He finished service to the United States as a sergeant, and he then obtained a bachelor’s degree with a dual major in business and public administration from the University of New Haven.
Mr. O’Brien retired after a combined 40 years of employment and volunteerism at Sterling House Community Center, working as the director of athletics and youth programs, where he was responsible for expanding, enhancing, and developing their youth athletics and youth programs.
He has been active in the Stratford community. He was instrumental in starting the recycling program and served as chairman of the Town of Stratford’s Recycling Committee for numerous years. He coached basketball and soccer at Sterling House and mentored at Franklin Elementary School. Other volunteer activities include serving on the town’s Parks and Recreation Committee, the Stratford Rotary Club, the Stratford Community Fund, Inc., the Stratford Youth Sports Association, the Stratford Beautification Committee, as a member of the Stratford Town Council member from 2017 to 2023, and current service as a member of the Stratford Board of Education.
Mr. O’Brien is a founding member and treasurer of the Stratford Veterans Museum, which opened on November 13, 2021. The museum’s mission is to recognize those veterans from Stratford who have served their country honorably in war and in peace and to act as a repository for their stories. A major goal of the museum is to host school field trips and educate youth in the community.
Administered and sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs and the Connecticut Military Department on behalf of the Office of the Governor, the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame was established in 2005 and inducts a new class annually. With the addition of this year’s class, there will now be 215 honorees inducted.
The focus of the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame is on veterans’ service to their communities after they have left military service. Many of the honorees are veterans who have been leaders in a variety of areas, such as the arts, education, public service, volunteer organizations, and community and business leadership.
The honorees are nominated throughout the year by members of the public, and then a committee – consisting of the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, the adjutant general of the Connecticut National Guard, members of the legislature’s Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, and a group of veterans from the state – reviews the nominations and selects inductees.
To be eligible, nominees must have been born in Connecticut or resided in the state for a minimum of five years. They must also meet the definition of a “veteran” under Connecticut General Statutes § 27-103 and have received an honorable discharge from the United States Armed Forces. The submitted nomination package must contain the completed nomination form, the veteran’s discharge documents, and a detailed narrative of the veteran’s community and/or public service at the local, state, and/or national level and the veteran’s contributions to the community at large.
