On the House floor Friday, retired National Guard Colonel and now state representative, Mike Morgan, made an announcement in recognition of Memorial Day, Rep. Jim Harrison writes in his weekly update.
“In our own body we have in our midst two members who have lost family as a result of service to our country during conflict,” Morgan said. “Tristan Southworth perished in the Afghanistan theater of war and is the son of the member from Walden (Rep. Mike Southworth). Danny Pinsonault (US Army 1976-2004) lost his battle with indirect wounds from battle and was the husband of the member from Dorset (Rep. Sandy Pinsonault). If there are other family members from members of our body that have perished in combat, I apologize for not knowing that. Madam Speaker, I’d ask if we could take a moment and recognize the supreme sacrifice made by not only Tristan and Danny, but all of those that have given their lives in our nation’s conflicts.”
As of November 2022, 25 Vermonters had died in in post 9/11 combat – the highest per capita of any state in the nation. Read more this November 28, 2022 news story.
Tristan Southworth (left), Danny Pinsonault (screenshot from CBS6 Albany photo)
“From the very beginning, Vermonters have taken on more than their fair share in the ongoing fight for freedom. From Ticonderoga to the streets of Baghdad and Kabul, the battlefields of American history are filled with Vermont heroes who left home to defend freedom and liberty, including those who made it home and those who didn’t,” Gov. Phil Scott said in his annual Memorial Day statement.
“On Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who represent the very best of what it means to be an American. Those whose lives were cut short protecting us and defending the rights and independence of this great country. Our world is a better place because of the sacrifices they all made.”