VALLEY PATRIOT OF THE MONTH By: John Cuddy – September 2018 The Silent Service Middleton’s Douglas Bryant originally hailed from Amesbury, Massachusetts where his father worked in the automotive industry. Prior to World War II, Amesbury had a bustling automobile industry, but manufacturers such as the Walker Body Company did not survive the Great Depression. […]
The Battle of the Atlantic – Defeating the Nazis on the High Seas! By: John Cuddy – Aug. 2018 Haverhill’s John Gallant served in the Atlantic Theater of Operation during World War II on the U.S.S Hammann, DE-131. The story of John Gallant’s World War II naval service and that of his ship’s, are very […]
By: John Cuddy – July, 2018 Lawrence’s Robert Crowley, a graduate of Central Catholic’s Class of 1944, had a unique role during and after World War II. Upon joining the U.S. Army, he was trained in Military Intelligence, with additional training in the Japanese language at Fort Holabird, outside of Baltimore, Maryland. He was then […]
By: John Cuddy – June, 2018 A breakfast and lunch with this month’s hero is Henry Naruszewicz; his family also spelled their name as Narushof, and some family members used an Americanized spelling, Norris. I first had lunch on St Patrick’s Day with Henry and his son in law, U.S. Air Force Veteran Bill Flanagan […]
By: John Cuddy – May, 2018 May 28th was Memorial Day. This story is to help start us on our reflections of what that day means to each of us and our families Born October 20, 1919, in Barre, Vermont, Angelo Dindo worked for the national men’s clothing chain of Montgomery Ward before joining the […]
By John Cuddy – April, 2018 Meeting this American Hero at Mary Ann’s Diner in Derry, NH on a Saturday morning, I was amazed at how quickly and confidently he used his smartphone. While eating, he showed me lots of information about his World War II unit and its planes, moving rapidly from one screen […]
HERO IN OUR MIDST! By: John Cuddy This month’s “Hero in our Midst” is one of 4,916 men in the 79th Infantry Division who received the Bronze Star, and one of 15,203 Purple Hearts awarded to the 79th Infantry (count is inflated due to some men receiving more than one Purple Heart). The 79th served […]
By: John Cuddy – February 2018 Truly a “hero in our midst”, it was an honor to interview Major Kelley. We are from the same home town, Lawrence, Massachusetts, and he went to grade school with my father at St Patrick’s Grammar School, but I never had the chance to really talk to Major Rick […]
UPDATE…. 2-10-18 ARRANGEMENTS HAVE CHANGED: Family and friends are invited to visiting hours on Sunday February 11, 2018 from 2pm to 4pm at The Dewhirst-Boles Funeral Home, 80 Broadway, Methuen. A Funeral Mass will be on Monday February 12 at 11:00am in Sacred Heart Church, 321 S. Broadway, Lawrence. Burial with military honors will follow […]
By: Tom Duggan – Nov, 2017 Normally this space is reserved for paying tribute to living veterans who have gone off and served our country and then come back to help other veterans. Last month, however, when the Valley Patriot learned a member of the Valley Patriot family, Ray Wilson had passed away, we also […]
METHUEN – This month, The Valley Patriot had scheduled a sit down interview with U.S. Navy War Hero Edmund Solomon. As fate would have it, Mr. Solomon passed away two days before our interview. In his honor, we are publishing his son, Joe Solomon’s eulogy from last week. Our hearts and prayers go out to […]
By: Beth D’Amato – July, 2017 NORTH ANDOVER – As far back as the American Revolution, the bravest of men would run onto the battlefields under enemy fire to provide aid and comfort to the wounded and dying. By the time the Civil War broke out, the realization that medical treatment and the evacuation […]
By: Beth D’Amato – June, 2017 On June 6th 1944, the allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. It’s been documented that this battle was responsible for nearly 210,000 casualties. This includes US and Allied forces both in air and on the ground. After the initial battle on D-Day, the reinforcement troops continued to […]
By: Beth D’Amato – April, 2017 Julian Jaramillo was born in Brownsville, Texas on January 31,1972. He comes from a strong military family which is why he says he entered the service right out of high school in 1991. Julian served from 1991 to 2006. As a United States Marine, Julian was deployed to Iraq […]