Grand Marshal Chosen For West Hartford's 2022 Memorial Day Parade

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A former West Hartford resident who currently serves as a deputy commandant for the United States Marine Corps will be grand marshal of the town's 2022 Memorial Day parade, officials announced.

Lt. Gen. Edward D. Banta, who graduated from Conard High School in 1982, will officiate the May 30 parade. He'll also give a keynote address at the High School Military Inductees Ceremony the following day.

Banta, who grew up in California and Connecticut, was promoted to his current rank on July 9, 2021, and serves as the Marines' deputy commandant for installations and logistics.

He's spent his career in the military — he joined shortly after graduating from Colgate University in 1986 — and fought in Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and more.

In 2006, Banta graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He also holds a master's degree in systems management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

West Hartford's 2022 Memorial Day Parade is at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 30. It will begin on Farmington Avenue at the intersection of Woodrow Street and will end at the Town Hall.