By: John Cuddy – Oct. 2020 Braintree, Massachusetts native, Robert Lucas, led a very interesting life, from pitching for the Boston Braves Farm system, to serving during the Korean conflict in the US Army infantry, to being on duty as a State Trooper on Martha’s Vineyard on the night of “Chappaquiddick”! Bob was selected as […]
Clear Path New England’s (CPNE) Canine Programming consists of service dog training, obedience training, community fosters, and puppy development. At CPNE we continue to provide Service dogs to Veterans and service members that have been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI, and/or MST. These highly trained and certified dogs make a tremendous difference in a veteran’s life. […]
By: Don Jarvis – Sept.2020 Haverhill, Massachusetts, is considered the final resting place for approximately 8,000 veterans. This is believed to go as far back as the American Revolutionary War, and as current as of the Global War on Terrorism. Some of these veterans can be easier to locate than others. Some veterans may be […]
At the start of 2020, no one could have foreseen the impacts from the COVID-19 Pandemic and how it would affect our Veterans. Since March of this year, Clear Path for Veterans New England (CP4VNE) has adapted to the situation and carried on in our mission to serve our Service Members, Veterans, and their families. […]
By: John Cuddy – Sept. 2020 PELHAM, NH – An alumnus of Methuen’s Tenney Memorial High, Class of 1945, where he played football and ran track, Joseph Ducharme is a lifelong Pelham, New Hampshire resident. Back in the 1940s, Pelham, New Hampshire was too small for a high school, so the town sent the children […]
Help The Valley Patriot Stay in Business Your Donation of ANY Amount helps By: John Cuddy – Aug, 2020 LAWRENCE – Greater Lawrence Technical School graduate and Lawrence native, Kevin Donahue, and I recently had dinner at Methuen’s Muddy Waters Restaurant. We had a fantastic meal, and the Donahue family really enjoyed the beer, pizza, […]
The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit in the District of Massachusetts alleging that PRTaylor Enterprises LLC, a company doing business as Father & Son Moving & Storage (Father & Son), violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to obtain a court order before auctioning off the entire contents of a U.S. Air […]
METHUEN — Mayor Neil Perry and Police Chief Joseph Solomon are pleased to welcome back Methuen Police Officer Eric Ferreira after his year-long military leave. Officer Ferreira was deployed from June 2019 to June 2020 with the United States Marines in Okinawa Japan. During this time overseas, he was also stationed in mainland Japan and […]
By: Don Jarvis – July, 2020 What started a few weeks ago has led to a wonderful community event serving meals directly to the homes of our veterans. Recently I was in touch with Sarah Sweeney from Military Friends Foundation who offered me a $1,000 COVID 19 Military Relief Fund grant to go towards immediately […]
Boston– This month marks the first official time in the country of formal recognition by proclamation of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps (USCNC) under the provisions of legislation filed by State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R- Gloucester) and signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker. The bill, co-sponsored by Representative Dave Robertson (D […]
By: John Cuddy – July, 2020 DRACUT – Born April 19, 1927, the youngest son of Polish immigrants, Dracut’s Alfred Araskiewicz was introduced to me by a fellow Scout leader, his neighbor, Paul Taylor. He graduated from Dracut High School with the Class of 1944. My first interview was with his granddaughter, Jennifer Phillips. She […]
July, 2020 Hero Marine and Purple Heart recipient, Francisco Urena resigned last month as Governor Baker’s Secretary of Veteran Affairs. He didn’t actually resign, he resigned the way most people in government resign: he was told to come in for a meeting with the Governor, was met by his flunkies upon arrival, and then handed […]
From Woodstock to Vietnam By: John Cuddy – June, 2020 Bill McCann was born in 1950 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He grew up in the Tower Hill Section of the city. Bill attended Lawrence High School and transferred to North Andover High School for his Senior Year. He graduated in June 1969 and applied to attend […]
BOSTON – A Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) employee pleaded guilty today to embezzling nearly $70,000 in VA funds. Michael Donaher, 41, of Lakeville, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to one count of embezzlement and theft of public money, property or records. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 10, 2020. He has […]
Financial Assistance Massachusetts is home to 380,000 of the nation’s 21 million veterans. More than half are aged 65 and older, and one in seven lives in poverty. As a result, our veterans are particularly at risk of contracting COVID19, as well as experiencing economic hardship during the current public health crisis. For low-income veterans […]