The Rotary Club of Enfield is honoring Enfield’s veterans by sponsoring military tribute banners that will be displayed in Higgins Park, the Town Green, Freshwater Walkway, North Main Street and Hazardville between Memorial Day and Veterans Day in 2026 and 2027. The Enfield Public Library partnered with Enfield Rotary to preserve digital versions of these banners as well as biographical information about each veteran.
Antoine A. Bazinet
United States army Air forces 1942-1945
World war II
corporal
Antoine André Bazinet, known as Tony, was born in Lewiston, Maine, into a French-speaking family. He was the second son and third child of Phillipe and Emmertienne Bazinet, and one of five boys. Tony left school after the eighth grade to help support his family, working in the local mills throughout his teenage years.
As a young adult, Tony moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where he met and married Betty Miller in 1942. Soon after, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces during World War II. Proud of his heritage and fluent in French, Tony served as a Corporal with the “Mighty Eighth” Air Force, stationed at a bomber base in England. As a motor pool technician, and through special assignments supporting operations along the English coast, he contributed to Allied efforts during a critical time in the war.
After returning home, Tony and Betty settled in East Hartford, Connecticut, where he began a long career as a toolmaker at Pratt & Whitney. In 1957, they moved to Enfield, where they raised their two daughters.
Tony was especially proud of his four brothers, all of whom also served during World War II. All five returned home safely. Today, their names are inscribed together on a monument in Lewiston, Maine, honoring their shared service:
Eugene Bazinet
Antoine Bazinet
Dominic Bazinet
Joseph Bazinet
Romeo Bazinet
