This morning, I had the pleasure of attending the Holyoke Veteran's Day Ceremonies at the War Memorial. It was a beautiful event. This year is extra special because it commerates the 90th anniversary since the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, which unfortunately was not the war to end all wars.
The United Veterans of Holyoke paid tribute to 3 wonderful Holyokers this year:
Ralph Lefebvre as Veteran of the year
Ron Dietrich as Public Safety Official of the Year
Attorney Maurice Ferriter as Citizen of the Year.
Each of these fine gentlemen have made a tremendous contribution to our city, state and nation and they were all very deserving of their awards. These 3 great veterans each continue in the long lineage of fine veterans that have come from Holyoke. Holyoke holds the remarkable distinction as a smaller city of being home to 3 Congressional Medal of Honor Receipents.
Sen. Knapik, Rep. Kane, Mayor Sullivan and City Council President Joe McGiverin all extended their best wishes and presented the award receipients with additional commerations on behalf of the city and state.
The Mountain View Baptist Church Choir delivered yet another beautiful and uplifting performace in honor of both God and Country.
All in attendance also gave special recognition to a fellow Holyoker who just returned after serving 2 years in Iraq.
I have been pushing for several years now for the restoration of the Civil War monument in Veterans Park. This signature monument commerates Holyoke's War Dead from this tragic internal war to keep our nation together. Recently, the City Council passed a resolution I introduced requesting that the monument be restored from the park restoration funds Holyoke will be receiving as part of the Intra-Model project across the street. Mayor Sullivan announced today at the ceremony today that the monument is going to be restored to its former glory and the monies will be put in place to make that happen. If you see Mayor Sullivan, please be sure to thank him for supporting our veterans and preserving our monuments to their memory!
I was very proud to share in this patriotic event and extend my best wishes to all of our veterans, both past and present. If you enjoy your freedom, take a minute to thank a Vet! If you missed the event, strongly consider putting it in your calendar next year - you will be glad you did.
Re-Elect Holyoke's Fiscal Watchdog!
