By: John Cuddy – July, 2024 The Valley Patriot recently interviewed Methuen Village Assisted Living resident Bob DuPont, who is a 98-year-old World War II veteran. Bob shared with the Valley Patriot a fascinating story of service to our Nation in Europe and the North Atlantic during World War II. Bob was raised with his […]
THE ADVENTURES OF KANE PEASLEE “The mission of Honor Flight New England is to Transport America’s veterans to Washington DC to visit those memorials dedicated to honoring their service and sacrifices.” (honorflightnewengland.org) Although Kane believes his writing skills are pretty good, no amount of words could adequately capture the energy and raw emotion of those […]
By: John Cuddy – 6/24 Growing up in Medford, Massachusetts with six siblings, Johnny Joyce loved baseball and the Boston Red Sox, he played in baseball’s Babe Ruth youth program. Shortly after graduating from Medford High with the Class of 1987, Johnny Joyce joined the US Navy Seabees in 1988. He completed basic training […]
By: John Cuddy – 4-24 The Valley Patriot this March, met with Haverhill’s Veteran Services Director, US Army and Massachusetts National Guard Veteran Jeffrey Hollett and discussed the five basic needs of our Nation’s Veterans. Most Veterans consider those needs to be housing, health care, access to education, employment, and most importantly, support and […]
By: John Cuddy – 3/24 “Breakfast is the best meal of the day.” Tom Finn’s family has been hearing this for decades. They assumed it was an ode to health experts or to picking up the tab for the least expensive meal. But, no, it is a nod to the U.S. Army. Though the […]
By: John Cuddy – Feb, 2024 The Massachusetts National Guard has been defending our freedoms since 1636! Sergeant First Class (SFC) Chadwick Larter, Recruiting Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) tells his story, in his own words. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, I grew up in Ayer MA where I attended school and graduated from Ayer […]
By: John Cuddy – Jan. 2024 His name is Charlie. Recently, a fellow Veteran, a US Army Ranger, Jack, who currently works as a policeman, told me the story of Charlie. Charlie is also a US Army Veteran, and he is currently homeless. As Jack told a small group of men and women, mostly Veterans […]
By: John Cuddy – 12-23 Born and raised in South Lawrence, Joseph Cuddy attended St. Patrick’s Grammar School and graduated from Central Catholic High School in the Class of 1952. Joe played basketball, hockey and football and ran track. After graduation, he enlisted in the US Army. As the middle of 5 brothers, Joe’s brother, […]
By: John Cuddy – Nov. 2023 Hailing from the long-gone Boston neighborhood, once known as the West End, Methuen’s James Fiorello graduated from Boston’s Mechanic Arts High School with the class of 1941. He then enrolled at Fitchburg State College, with the intent on becoming a teacher. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December […]
By: John Cuddy 10-23 Raised in Methuen, Massachusetts, where he returned to over thirty years ago, ninety-year-old Robert Lister and his daughter Joan, recently met with the Valley Patriot to tell his story. Growing up, he had three sisters and one brother. Robert attended Lawrence High School for a while before joining the US Navy […]
Haverhill native Chris Manning is the current Commander of American Legion Post 4 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Chris grew up in Haverhill, one of twelve children, his three brothers all served in the US Military. His dad served in the South Pacific during World War II, as a Machinist Mate First Class. His older brother […]
By John Cuddy LAWRENCE – Lawrence High School Alum Guy Curtis, Class of 1967, like many incoming Freshmen, wanted to play football for Lawrence High School. His family doctor would not approve him playing high school sports. Five years later, in 1968, the US Air Force cleared him medically for military service in Southeast Asia. […]
By: John Cuddy – 7/23 Lawrence’s James George Hajjar, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the Plains neighborhood in Lawrence, a community of Lebanese, Sicilian, and Irish, a few blocks northwest of Campagnone Common, named after three Lawrence brothers, who were killed in the Normandy Campaign of World War II. James […]
By: John Cuddy 6-23 HAVERHILL – During World War II, Haverhill’s Ed Girroir enlisted in the US Army after Pearl Harbor, with most of his friends doing the same. He served as a Paratrooper with the US Army, in the European Theatre. He was on Active duty, from 1944 to 1946, assigned to the 517th […]
By: John Cuddy – 05-23 Despite the fact that I arrived with a two-pound box of Tripoli’s cookies, ninety-nine-year-old US Army Veteran Salisbury’s Robert “Boots” Chouniard, spent a good part of our time together, on his rowing machine, vigorously working out. He walks a mile a day, rows, lifts weights, and travels worldwide. Boots spends […]