CLINTON - Clinton Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and American Legion are teaming up to work on a project aimed toward honoring the town's veterans. After getting approval from the Board of Selectmen (BOS), both groups are seeking out veterans interested in buying a brick to be laid next to the Post Office in downtown Clinton.

"We're going to call it 'Veteran's Walk,'" said Thomas Kehoe, a member of both the VFW and American Legion.

VFW Post 9918 Commander Raymond Apel is spearheading the project. Apel is also a member of the American Legion and an Honor Guard member in Madison.

After seeing what Madison's veteran group did, Apel thought it would be another great way to recognize those who reside in town for their services overseas.

"Because I'm a member of the Madison Honor Guard from American Legion Post 79 and I do military funerals, my name is over there on a brick at the Legion Hall," Apel said.

"Bricks are becoming very popular and what we agreed upon is that this isn't [limited to] the Legion; this is not the VFW?This is veterans, Clinton veterans, because it includes everybody," said Apel.

The bricks are the standard size of 4 x 8 inches. Veterans will have the chance to have three lines inscribed on their brick, with 18 spaces per line. A $40 donation is requested, which will go into an account at Liberty Bank, which was set up for efforts just like this.

"The price is a donation of $40 and the reason is because when we have it all done, with the money left over we want to put a monument here," said Apel.

Both Apel and Kehoe said another reason they want to jump start this project is because many of the veterans in town who served in wars don't have their names inscribed on the large monument in front of the Town Hall. The monument has been in existence for decades, with names and new additions added to it over the years.

"A lot of the guys didn't get on the memorial at the Town Hall because you had to enlist out of Clinton," Kehoe explained.

Apel said that the bricks will be layed 25 at a time, depending on weather. He is currently taking orders now and announced the effort at a recent VFW meeting. To place an order, send the check made out to Raymond Apel to

2 Partridge Ln., Clinton, CT 06413.

Don't forget to send what you'd like to have inscribed on the brick, which can hold three lines, 18 characters per line (including spaces). Apel has recommended that the first line state your name, the second state your rank and service, and the third state the country of conflict and years in which you served. Also recommended is that residents write down a phone number where they can be reached if questions arise.

For more information about the Veterans Walk, call Apel at

860-669-7014.