The Barrington United Veterans Council needs to be front and center when it comes to any Memorial Day or Veterans Day event in Barrington.

That is the message being shared by Carl Kustell.

The member of the Barrington Town Council said the BUV Council has agency to speak on behalf of the veterans of Barrington. Kustell said the town council needs to restore the BUVC to the role it held prior to the March 7 council meeting when members voted to give organizational duties of the Memorial Day parade to the town manager and master of ceremonies honors to Scott Douglas, a Barrington resident and Navy commander who is not a member of the Barrington United Veterans Council.

“I don’t see how we can’t restore them (the BUVC) to their pre-pandemic role,” Kustell said. “They need to have the exact status they had earlier… Their rightful place should be at the apex of Memorial Day and Veterans Day events in town.”

Kustell spoke about this issue during the April council meeting. He said he met with the leader of the Barrington United Veterans Council who had shared with him the history of the veterans council in town. Kustell said he was trying to work out a compromise with the BUVC and the town.

Kustell also said there is likely some confusion between the Barrington United Veterans Council and the Barrington United Veterans Coalition, which is a separate partisan group that also involves the president of the Barrington United Veterans Council.

Kustell said there should be room for compromise, adding that the best solution would be to restore the BUVC to its pre-pandemic status.

The council did not take any action to do that at its April meeting, citing that the item was not on the agenda. 

In a followup interview, Kustell said he did not see a likelihood for a reversal of the March council vote. He added that he plans to continue to press his colleagues to work with the BUVC.

Public comments

When the public comment period began during the April council meeting, a handful of residents discussed the need to have veterans run the Memorial Day parade and ceremony. 

Thomas “TR” Rimoshytus said he disagreed with the council’s earlier decision to shift parade organizational duties to the manager and away from the BUVC. 

“Let them run the parade,” Rimoshytus said. 

Other residents, including Deb Nyser, offered similar messages. Some were more critical of the council than others, and Rimoshytus specifically called out Barrington Town Council President Michael Carroll. He said Carroll, who has lived in town for many years, should have remembered the history of the BUVC.

“You’re a lifer,” Rimoshytus said. 

A short time later during the discussion, Carroll offered a response to Rimoshytus. He said Barrington has done a lot for veterans over the years. 

In a separate statement to the Barrington Times, Carroll wrote: “I am the son of a veteran and the nephew of a veteran. One of my cousins is a combat veteran of the conflicts in the Middle East – a Navy Corpsman serving with Marines who were frequently under fire.  In all of my speeches at Memorial Day I call on all our residents to seek to become worthy of the great sacrifices of those who died in service to our nation. Since I’ve been in office, we’ve added two veteran’s memorials to the long list of those already present in Barrington: the memorial at Police Cove park and the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge (the ‘White Church Bridge’). We have also dramatically increased the tax relief available to veterans and their families.”

Carroll, in his statement, wrote that the town has invited to all veterans to participate in the planning of the parade and ceremonies. He wrote that some veterans have stepped up.

“We have reached out to the Barrington United Veteran's Coalition/Council on multiple occasions. I have also asked BUVC to ‘partner’ with Town, working with high school students to participate in the ceremonies and teach those students the meaning of Memorial Day. They declined. We are however, cooperating with the BUVC in holding their own private ceremony.”

Veteran responds

Paul Dulchinos, the president of the Barrington United Veterans Council, said he has been very disappointed by the council. He said he offered to step aside from his usual leadership role in planning the Memorial Day parade in Barrington, if it would mean that the overall duties of organizing the parade would be returned to the BUVC.

“I was willing to step aside … as long as my organization remained in the lead,” Dulchinos said. “We would choose another MC and another keynote speaker. I didn’t hear anything back at all.”

Dulchinos said his organization did not like the idea of being stripped of the official duties of organizing the parade, only to then be pulled back in to show the town how it all functions.

“It’s a hollow gesture. We have some pride,” Dulchinos added.

Dulchinos said he was pleased to see Kustell step up on behalf of the BUVC.

“He took the initiative to do outreach with us. He didn’t understand our role, or our history. Upon learning that, he had a change of heart,” Dulchinos said about Kustell.

“I think what’s refreshing with Carl, as opposed to school committee and town council… is his willingness to set aside ego, to change course and correct it. He was willing to correct the course of action. Instead we see councilors and committee members… not willing to break from their opinion. They dig in their heels.”

During a recent interview, Dulchinos said members of the Barrington United Veterans Council have agreed to march in the Memorial Day parade in Warren.