Retired US Army Colonel Charlie Brule said he was pleased with the size of the crowd that attended the Veterans Day ceremony in Barrington, adding that the event offered an opportunity for the local veterans organization — the Barrington United Veterans Council — and the town to move past some prior disagreements.

“I think we have to put aside negativity in these types of events, and just try to stay positive as best we can when it comes to honoring veterans — there’s no other way,” Brule said. “We have to try to remain ethical in our behavior. Aside from the names we’ve been called, I’ve always considered myself an officer and a gentleman, and I would never degrade anyone by any name-calling.”

A few weeks ago, Barrington Town Council member Jacob Brier shared a statement in which the councilor criticized the Barrington United Veterans Coalition, a private organization that shares much of its membership with the Barrington United Veterans Council, the group which ran the Veterans Day event. 

The BUV Council also worked with the town council on the installation of the new banners hanging along County Road — those banners recognize Barrington residents who died while serving in the US military. 

Paul Dulchinos serves as the president of the Barrington United Veterans Council and is a leader with the BUV Coalition. He said the two groups have been conflated in the past, adding that the Barrington United Veterans Council has been recognized as the town’s veterans service organization since 1954. 

“I appreciate the town’s support,” Dulchinos said, referring to the town council’s support of the veterans banners project. “I think it’s an opportunity for us to come together and heal after tumultuous year or so. I was able to work with (council member) Carl Kustell to get it on the agenda and approved. And we had some funds left over from past legislative grants. Grants from Cindy Coyne and Jason Knight.”

Dulchinos said he had seen veterans banners in other communities and was happy to see the idea was warmly received by the Barrington Town Council. 

“We said we wanted to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, to keep their memories alive,” Dulchinos said. 

“I think it’s important that we re-establish communications with the (town) council. We are their veterans service organization for the town. We have been chartered and recognized by the town since 1954. We’re open to all membership from anybody who walks through the door. We’re frankly dying for volunteers to help us out.”

Dulchinos said the Barrington United Veterans Council has assisted the town in the past, helping the tax assessor’s office review applications for the veterans tax exemption. He said the group also maintains the town’s Honor Roll, among other duties. 

“We’ve been maligned, undeservedly, … one of the things as veterans is that we are the guardians of the American flag. That means a lot to us,” Dulchinos said. “The American Legion itself is still trying to get an amendment to keep the American flag from being burned, desecrated. It’s kind of stalled, but because that symbol means so much to us as veterans, we felt there was a policy in town that was being promoted that kind of disrespected the American flag or sent the wrong message, we became vocal about it. 

“… I think we felt bad because they (the town council) didn’t reach out to us before they changed the policy. And maybe the whole thing could have been avoided. We offered some compromises afterwards, but the council dug their heels in. We’ve been willing to compromise all along. We’ve offered other alternatives, maybe another pole or a different way of reaching out to communities that feel disenfranchised. It shouldn’t be a zero sum game. We need to get away from feeling that we need to tear down one group to build another group up. That’s destructive. That’s divisive. That goes against the whole thought that we want to improve inclusivity in our town. We should have a big tent. We should embrace all folks and all diverse views.”