Sgt. Maj. Eric Nelson, U.S. Army (retired)

Sgt. Maj. Eric Nelson, U.S. Army (retired)

VALLEY PATRIOT OF THE MONTH – HERO IN OUR MIDST   December 2009 – While attending the North Andover Veteran’s Day observances, I was privileged to listen to guest speaker Sgt. Major Eric Nelson. Nelson is a retired U.S. Army officer of 24 years. he spent his first career in the U.S. Army and is […]

Hero in Our Midst – Agnes Bresnahan of Methuen – Valley Patriot of the Month

By: Lonnie Brennan – April, 2008 METHUEN – Her statistics from 1970 are simple: female, 5 foot five inches, 125 pounds, age 19. As she entered her Junior year at the now-closed Catholic Trinity College in Burlington, Vermont, Agnes M. Bresnahan was surrounded daily by images of the Vietnam war: Images of war protests on […]

Hero In Our Midst – Christoper Fantasia, Salem NH – Valley Patriot of the Month

By: Tech Sgt. James Moore, USAF – February, 2008 SALEM, NH – Airman First Class Christopher Fantasia, home on Recruiting Assistance Duty at the Air Force Recruiting Office in Lawrence, Ma., is making a difference in the world. He is a patriot and has a genuine enthusiasm for his work. Airman First Class Fantasia joined […]

Hero in Our Midst – Arthur Rauseo of Georgetown – Valley Patriot of the Month

Hero in Our Midst – Arthur Rauseo of Georgetown – Valley Patriot of the Month

By: Lonnie Brennan -December, 2007 GEORGETOWN – Quietly, peacefully, a former naval seaman makes his way to a local coffee shop. He takes his seat on a short stool at a curved counter, smiles to a familiar server, shares quips and views on the past day’s events and the morning papers. As he sips his […]

Hero in Our Midst – Sara Payne Hayden – WASP Pilot

By: Kathleen Corey Rahme – November, 2007 METHUEN – The Massachusetts Women Veterans’ Network named Methuen resident, Sara Payne Hayden the Woman’s Veteran of the Year at a special ceremony in the State House in Boston this month. It was a privilege to nominate her for this honor and according to Heidi Kruckenberg the coordinator for […]

Hero in Our Midst – Francisco Urena – Valley Patriot of the Month Sept. 2007

  By: Tom Duggan, September, 2007  Most Lawrence residents know Francisco Urena as the city’s Veterans’ Services Director, but long before Urena came to work for the city of Lawrence he was serving the United States Marines in the 1st Tank Battalion in Iraq. Urena was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in […]

Hero Veteran Speaks at Memorial Day Service in North Andover

Hero Veteran Speaks at Memorial Day Service in North Andover

Local Hero Speaks on War on Terror    Monday, May 28, 2007   Memorial Day Services were held all around the Merrimack Valley today in honor of those who lost their lives serving the United States Armed Forces. In North Andover, Massachusetts, Valley Patriot of the Month, Thomas Hudner, a Medal of Honor recipient, spoke […]

Valley Patriot of the Month- Hero in Our Midst Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. U.S. Navy – Korean War, Medal of Honor

Valley Patriot of the Month- Hero in Our Midst Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr.  U.S. Navy – Korean War, Medal of Honor

Valley Patriot of the Month, Hero in Our Midst Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. Ted Tripp – (May 7, 2007) CONCORD/ANDOVER – Tom Hudner was sitting in the commons area after lunch at Phillips Academy in Andover when word spread that the Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor. As with most young people of the era, […]

HEROES IN OUR MIDST Chief Master Sgt. Michael Ingham U.S. Air Force

VALLEY PATRIOT OF THE MONTH   By: Ted Tripp – December, 2006 HAVERHILL – Next month Mike Ingham will retire after 33 years of service in the Air Force, both on active duty and in the reserves. His assignments have taken him all over the world: Germany, Italy, Spain, England, Alaska and Central America. Born […]

Hero in Our Midst – Capt.Terrance Hart U.S. Coast Guard – Valley Patriot of the Month

By: Ted Tripp – October, 2006 GEORGETOWN – Late on the night of December 26, 1970, in stormy seas 600 miles off Cape May, New Jersey, the aging 540-foot Finnish tanker Ragny broke in half without warning. An SOS went out and was relayed to the Coast Guard station in New York which immediately initiated […]

Hero in Our Midst – Joe Messina of Methuen – Hero in our Midst

By Ted Trip – July 05, 2006  METHUEN – Joe Messina was taking a shower below decks on the aircraft carrier USS Hancock after his Curtis SB2C Hell-diver returned from another grueling mission attacking Japanese shipping in Manila Bay.  Shortly after the ship’s General Quarters sounded, there was a tremendous explosion just over his head and […]

Heroes in our Midst – Christian Farnham, Captain Daniel Leary, Specialist Philip Brooks of North Andover

By: Tom Duggan – June, 2006 *Specialist Christian Farnha Spc. Christian Farnham began his military career in 1992 when he decided to follow the family tradition of enlisting in the Marines. His father and brother both served in the Marine Corps. Farnham said it was very important to him that he follow in their footsteps […]

Hero in our Midst – Luther McIlwain, Tuskegee Airman, Part 2 – Valley Patriot of the Month

(READ PART 1) By: Ted Tripp – May, 2006 METHUEN – As 85-year-old Luther McIlwain slowly walks around the kitchen table in his Pleasant Valley home, it is obvious that this Tuskegee Airman has a lot more story to tell about his military experience during World War II. Each little parcel of information he shares […]