Ridgefield’s Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 30th is ready to step off at 11:30 and as promised, it will be a grand parade with six marching bands, an Army reserve unit, local town officials, 60 organizations, and a flyover.
Commander George Besse, American Legion Post 78, just announced that the 2022 Grand Marshal is Korean War Veteran, Richard (Dick) Godbout.
Dick Godbout joined the United States Air Force and completed his basic training a Sampson AFB in Geneva, N.Y. Then he was sent to Tech school at Lowry AFB in Denver, Co. where he was trained on the K bomb navigation system. This system was installed in all the Air Forces B-47 Stratojet bombers. After tech school, he was assigned to the 365th Bomb Squadron at MacDill AFB, in Tampa Florida.
The 365th Bomb Squadron was part of Strategic Air Command or better known as SAC and they always had bombers in the air all the time around the globe. As an Inflight Technician, he flew around the world to different airbases located in England, Spain, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Greenland. At the time of his honorable discharge, Dick had achieved the rank of Staff Sargent.
Returning home, he joined the family business, which was a small wholesale heating and air conditioning company. They had store locations in Hartford, New Haven and Springfield, Massachusetts. He was their outside sales representative and after three years they opened a store in Stamford. This new store location caused him to move to Ridgefield in 1962. Here he would raise his family with his wife Evelyn and their five children.
Always the consummate volunteer, being very active in our community, Dick coached little league baseball, Red Raider football, he belongs to the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion Post 78 and is our Sr. Vice Commander, Ridgefield’s Men’s Club where has chaired different committees is a member of AARP and Founders Hall.
Commander George Besse looks forward to a tremendous spectator turnout after a two-year hiatus. See you at the parade!