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10/26/2016 08:30 AMIn 1981 at age 21, Richard “Rich” Dunn made the choice to serve his country and joined the U.S. Marines. On Sunday, Nov. 6, Rich will lead Branford’s Veterans Day Parade as grand marshal, following his keynote speech during the 1 p.m. opening ceremony at the Cenotaph (behind Town Hall) on the Branford Town Green.
In his speech, Rich says he plans to emphasize the willing sacrifice of America’s armed forces members and their families.
“At one point in their life, each of those men and women signed a blank check to the United States government—up to and including their life,” says Rich. “It’s a tremendous sacrifice, not just for the men and women who serve, but for their families, too.”
A decorated veteran, Rich’s military honors include the Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, and Meritorious Mast.
Rich’s active duty with the U.S. Marines spanned a tumultuous military chapter during the Reagan era. He undertook dangerous deployments to Beirut, Lebanon, as well as serving in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada.
On Oct. 23, 1983, a terrorist bombing of a Battalion Landing Team headquarters in Beirut killed 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers. For the U.S. Marines, the single action resulted in the largest loss of life since the Vietnam War. At that time, it was also the worst modern-era terrorist act against Americans. Rich was en route to his second deployment in Beirut in October 1983 when his task force was instead diverted to take part in the invasion and liberation of Grenada. The mission rescued hundreds of American medical students caught in the cross-hairs of a “shoot on sight” curfew, Rich recalls.
Rich says he’ll never forget what it felt like to help liberate the people of Grenada.
“We had secured the island and we were leaving to get back on our ships and head back to Beirut, and there was an old lady crying on the side of the road. So we asked if she was alright and she said she had been praying someone would come and save them,” says Rich. “They were very grateful to the Americans. To this day, they celebrate Thanksgiving in Grenada.”
Rich’s further service with the Multi National Peace Keeping force in Beirut involved more than 20 combat missions. The military chapter of history in which Rich served may have been overshadowed by 1990s Gulf War and post-2001 Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but Rich says the modern service veterans who are perhaps the most deserving of unsung recognition are those who served in Vietnam.
“Vietnam veterans never got the welcome back to America that the military gets now,” says Rich, who will once again join with many other veterans, including those who served in Vietnam, to speak with Branford High School students during a Veterans Program on Friday, Nov. 11. “I always tell the students, if you see a Vietnam veteran, please welcome them home.”
With their numbers dwindling with every passing year, Rich also stresses the importance of recognizing every community’s veterans of World War II and Korea. He adds part of the role of Branford’s American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) membership is to visit every veteran’s grave in Branford on parade mornings.
“Going to the cemeteries, it is very fulfilling,” says Rich. “I think it is important to remember those that went before us.”
Rich also tries to show anyone who takes the time to thank him for his service that those thanks do not go unnoticed.
“When people say ‘Thank you’ to me for my service, I usually say ‘Thank you’ to them for the recognition, not so much for me, but for all our veterans.”
He said Branford’s Veterans Day Parade, together with its Memorial Day Parade each May, are nurtured by the crowds who turn out to appreciate those who served.
“What’s encouraging is seeing the older people, who have the sense of patriotism, coming out with their grandkids to the parade each year,” says Rich. “It’s a great way for everyone to recognize the veterans and those who serve.”
A Massachusetts native and the son and nephew of U.S. Marine veterans, Rich was honorably discharged in 1984. He worked as a part-time police officer and full-time campus police officer from 1987 to 1990. Rich was working on the campus of Dean College when he met his future wife, Chrystella, a North Haven native. The couple married 24 years ago, and relocated to Branford, raising their son, Brendan, now 16. The Dunn family also includes their pug, Maxx.
Richard retired from state service as a lieutenant in the Judicial Marshals Service and now focuses much of his energy on advocating for and serving veterans.
Noting, “I don’t believe in joining an organization and not being an active part of it,” Rich is now in his second year as commander of Branford’s American Legion Post 83, holds the ceremonial title of surgeon of Branford VFW, and serves on the Branford Veterans Parade Committee.
In addition, in January 2015, Rich was appointed as a charter member of the Branford Veterans Advisory Committee, a newly formed town committee on which he continues to serve.
“I can’t say enough about our veterans,” says Rich. “They are underpaid and overworked, but they do it willingly.”