By: John MacDonald – April, 2014 As I sat on a barstool at my local VFW fifteen or so years ago I watched an older veteran pouring over his emotions, adventures overseas and through numerous bottles of beer with another fellow veteran. The moment I witnessed, seemed distant, but familiar as I listened to the […]
(BOSTON) – Representative Frank A. Moran (D-Lawrence) joined his colleagues in the Legislature to pass the VALOR Act II which builds upon existing legislation to expand opportunities and services for military personnel, veterans and their families. The legislation provides increased property tax relief and enhances employment, educational and healthcare support services. It creates a home […]
By: Justess Jacobson – April, 2014 Last month The Valley Patriot awarded Amesbury Police Officer Jason Kooken with The Valley Patriot, Officer Tom Duggan Sr. Law Enforcement Award. Officer Duggan’s granddaughter did the presentation to Officer Kooken. Every year, Jason Kooken bicycle rides his way down to Washington, DC to the National Law Enforcement Memorial […]
By: John Lenotte – March, 2014 As we start to turn the corner to Spring (I HOPE!!) members of the American Legion and other veterans service organizations look to arrive in Washington, D.C. to discuss legislative issues with members of Congress. I will report more on this in next month’s issue. I am often asked […]
People frequently ask me, “What is the ‘secret’ of your success?” While I could never boil down to one single reason, I have made no secret of the fact that teamwork is the biggest reason this little engine continues to defy the odds, chugging uphill, every single month. Our readers provide the majority of our […]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOs1v2roLCs&w=280&h=220] The Lawrence Exchange Club honored EMT’s, firefighters and police officers from Andover, North Andover and Lawrence for their contribution to public safety in the Merrimack Valley. The annual award ceremonies were held at the Wyndham Hotel in Andover Wednesday evening. The event is sponsored by Scott Emerson and Wheelabrator Technologies in North Andover. The Heroes […]
By: John Lenotte – February, 2014 There have been a lot of news stories about the computer security problems at Target and other stores. Have you heard much about the computer problems with the Veterans Administration? A software glitch allowed users to access one another’s private information. The government wants veterans to file online, but […]
The Lawrence Fire Dept. By: Tom Duggan – February, 2014 This is part II of an ongoing series on Lawrence City Councilor Marc Laplante’s experiences riding along and observing city workers. Last month we let Councilor Laplante chronicle his experiences riding along with Lawrence Police. This month, the councilor talked about what he learned observing […]
By: Helen Mooradkanian – February, 2014 They called it “the Valley of Death”—the dreaded Hiep Duc Valley in Vietnam. The enemy’s stronghold. A major battleground. One where American units were nearly annihilated. Sergeant Dudley H. Farquhar, A Troop, 1/1st Cav, Americal Division (23d Infantry), as a member of Americal’s Reactionary Forces was sent in with […]
VALLEY PATRIOT OF THE MONTH By: Helen Mooradkanian – January, 2014 NORTHANDOVER – “We were the second largest convoy to leave for Europe—5,000 of us aboard the U.S. Army troopship George Washington—when we left New York in early 1944, bound for Liverpool, England. By the time we arrived in England in April, two months before […]
By: Tom Duggan – December, 2013 The Family of Walter and Gabe Pomerleau donated a $1,000 bulletproof vest for the Massachusetts State Police K9 unit through a non-profit organization called Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog. Massachusetts Vest A Dog works to raise money and resources to support Massachusetts’s police dogs by providing bullet proof K9 vests, equipment, training […]
By: Tom Duggan – December, 2013 The Methuen Exchange Club presented Methuen Police Detective John Delano with their Police Officer of the Year Award at their annual dinner banquet last month. Late last winter, Methuen Police Chief Joe Solomon assigned Detective Delano to head up an investigation into 15 robberies in the area. After a […]