Darien residents won’t need to hear bugler Ashley Porter playing taps at the Peace Monument to know it’s Memorial Day. That’s because every day is Memorial Day in Darien.

When members of the Darien Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2838 gather to honor deceased soldiers at Darien Community Park, the Rev. Walter Dziordz will lead his congregation in prayer for servicemen and women at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Darien. On Thursday, May 29, JoAnn DiNello, founder of the We Care Program and former Darien Citizen of the Year, will pack boxes of toiletries and treats to send to local soldiers stationed in the Middle East.

In an effort to publicize Memorial Day at the Peace Monument, DiNello sent many neighbors and friends invitations to the Darien VFW’s remembrance at 11 a.m. Monday, May 26, in the park.

“It’s a very moving ceremony. I just feel it’s a community event that’s not well-attended,” she said. “I sent letters to all of my neighbors in town to promote it because we’re fighting a war in Iraq and Afghanistan. After all, these are the men and women who are fighting to make our country free. People should be aware that our country is free because of men who are now in their 80s and 90s.”

A few blocks west of Darien Community Park at Our Lady of Peace, Dziordz prays daily for soldiers and for peace in the Middle East. Dziordz understands the sacrifice veterans make because he served in the United States Army before entering the priesthood.

“I served three years in the regular army as a sergeant, a communications center supervisor for the 66th Military Intelligence Group in Munich, Germany, holding a top-secret clearance,” Dziordz said. “I served there for two-and-a-half years. After I left the regular army, I served an additional year in the Massachusetts National Guard as a sergeant with an Artillery Unit. I am now a member of the American Legion.” 

Images of the Middle East war, coupled with the names of local servicemen and women listed in the church bulletin, evoke memories from Dziordz’s own military experience.

“Three months ago, I placed a book and a candle on a table in the back of church where people can write the names of veterans, living or deceased, KIA (killed in action) or not. In this way, prayer for the veterans will be perpetual,” he said. “I came to (Our Lady of Peace) with a peace prayer already in use. I brought the prayer before each of the Sunday Masses to help set a good mood for the Mass and to ensure its ongoing use.”

A peace prayer is part of the daily Masses, Dziordz said.

“My basic sense is that praying for peace in no way impedes support for veterans and their families. The current military individuals — these mostly young individuals — have demonstrated incredible bravery and loyalty to their country, as Americans have in every war,” Dziordz added. “Their task is daunting, and they need to know that they are supported, prayed for and loved. This task is a noble one, and it is ours.”

Darien VFW Treasurer Earl McMahon described the Memorial Day ceremony slated for the Peace Monument.

“Our commander, Ed Otis, will give a speech. Then everyone present is given a poppy to place on the graves,” McMahon said. “The Darien City Hall will broadcast the ceremony on Cable TV Channel 6.”

He also echoed Dziordz’s sentiments about peace.

“When we put up the Peace Monument several years ago, we didn’t want it as a war memorial, but as a peace memorial,” McMahon said. “The people of Darien helped us with donations to get the monument put up.”

On Sunday, May 25, Boy Scouts from Darien Troop 97 will assist VFW members in placing flags on more than 200 graves at the Clarendon Hills Cemetery. In addition to its collaboration with the scouts, Post 2838 sponsors the We Care Program.

The VFW is always looking for new members, and veterans meet on the second Thursday of each month at Eisenhower Junior High in Darien. Like the VFW, DiNello also seeks volunteers and donations for the We Care program. For information about either group, contact DiNello at (630) 852-1165.