(HARTFORD, CT) – Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, in collaboration with Governor Ned Lamont, today announced that she will host the 13th annual Connecticut Wall of Honor ceremony at the State Capitol in Hartford on Thursday, May 21, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. Due to due ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary closure of the State Capitol building, in-person attendance will not be permitted among the general public, however residents are encouraged to watch the event in its entirety via CT-N’s live stream on YouTube.

The Connecticut Wall of Honor is a permanent memorial located in the concourse area between the State Capitol and Legislative Office Building in Hartford and pays tribute to the 65 service members of the United States Armed Forces who are from Connecticut and gave their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. It includes a photograph of each service member. Thousands of visitors view the memorial annually while on visits to the State Capitol.

Thursday’s ceremony will include remarks from state and military officials, as well as a reading of the names of the fallen by Major General Francis J.Evon, Jr., Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard, and Commissioner Thomas Saadi of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“The men and women whose photos are displayed on the Connecticut Wall of Honor represent the very best of our state, and we pay tribute to everything they have given in the name of service to the United States,”Governor Lamont said. “They dedicated their lives to protecting our freedoms and are true heroes. This memorial ensures that they will never be forgotten.”

"We will never forget the brave men and women from Connecticut who stepped forward to protect and defend our freedoms and our democracy after the September 11 terrorist attacks," Lt. Governor Bysiewicz said. "Connecticut's Wall of Honor is an important part of the history of our state and I invite everyone in our state to join us this Thursday to remember these 65 heroes, learn their stories, and honor their invaluable service to our state and country."

Information on the Connecticut Wall of Honor, including biographies and photographs of each of the memorialized service members, can be found online at portal.ct.gov/wallofhonor.

Video and audio pool for the media

Video and audio of this event will be pooled to media outlets by the Connecticut Network (CT-N). The network will provide outlets with a clean, high-definition broadcast signal with embedded audio viaLiveU. Outlets looking to receive the LiveU feed must contact CT-N’s Acting Director of Operations, Dan Petrolito, at 860-301-6283. Radio outlets are encouraged to pull audio from CT-N’s live stream on YouTube.

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