SUBMARINE VETS: The Western Mass Submarine Veterans meet at the World War II Club on Conz Street, inNorthampton at 2 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month.
All submariners are encouraged to come down and meet former shipmates. For more information call Gene Kozash at 527-9578.
STAR SPANGLED AFTERNOON: The Massachusetts and Rhode Island departments of the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., are hosting a “Star Spangled Afternoon” musical show May 15 at The Log Cabin banquet and meeting house in Holyoke.
Proceeds will benefit veteran recreation programs at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and at the two state soldiers’ homes in Holyoke and Chelsea
The afternoon will feature a lineup of local performers, including Dan Kane and friends. They will salute America’s veterans with a selection of patriotic songs and favorites from the 1930s and 1940s.
The event will include dinner stations featuring a variety of foods starting at 2 p.m.
The entertainment portion of the afternoon will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Raffle prizes with a silent auction will feature several donated gifts from tourism and travel destinations throughout the Pioneer Valley and southern New England, including Boston sports teams.
Tickets, which are $50 before April 4 and $60 afterward, can be purchased online at logcabin-delaney.com or by calling 535-5077.
The American Gold Star Mothers Inc. is a national organization of women whose children died while in military service, died as a result of military service, or are missing in action.
The organization provides services and community-based outreach.
“Our goal this year is to raise more than $10,000 for veterans in southern New England,” said Karen Lounsbury, president of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Department of the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
A traveling tribute wall, the “Faces of Remembrance,” which honors the memory of fallen service members, will be on display at the event as will information on the national campaign to designate the “Honor and Remember” flag as a national symbol to recognize the sacrifice of military service members and their families.
The Log Cabin has also reserved rooms at its D. Hotel & Suites in Holyoke, 10 minutes from the event location, at a discount rate for all guests and out-of-town attendees.
For more information contact Lounsbury at 617-899-4489, or John Paradis, communications volunteer for American Gold Star Mothers Inc., at 387-9966.
VET2VET CLASSES: Holyoke Community College will continue its series of free classes this spring for veterans and their families while expanding the number of locations where they are offered
Called “Vet2Vet,” the 10 single-session classes are designed to support, inform, educate and facilitate networking of veterans for personal and professional growth. The courses are all taught by veterans of the U.S. military and are only open to veterans and their family members.
HCC is running the classes in partnership with the Springfield Vet Center, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs office in West Springfield; the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home; Veterans Outreach into Community Action; Soldier On; Veterans Inc.; and Employment Support of the Guard and Reserve.
Classes include:
Leadership Skills for Veterans: March 21, 6 to 9 p.m., Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, Cherry Street, Holyoke.
Getting Control Over Your Finances: March 31, 1 to 4 p.m., Veterans Inc., Building 1, STCC Technology Park, Federal Street, Springfield.
Left, Right, Left: April 2, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dept. of Veterans Affairs Hospital, North Main Street, Leeds.
Current and Pending Veterans Legislation: April 8, 6 to 8 p.m., Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.
Female Vets: Realities Back Home: April 15, 1 to 3 p.m., HCC, Homestead Avenue, Holyoke.
From Combat to Classroom: April 29, 1 to 3 p.m., Springfield Vet Center, Ashley Avenue, West Springfield.
Getting Maximum Benefit from Your Benefits: May 3, 1 to 4 p.m., Veterans Inc.
Career Development & Enhancement: May 11, 1 to 3 p.m., Franklin Hampshire Career Center, Industrial Drive, Northampton.
Veterans’ Life Forum: May 26, 1 to 4 p.m., Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.
For more information or to register for a class, go to www.hcc.edu/bce or call 552-2324.
Following is a list of local veterans whose obituaries appeared in the Gazette between March 5 and 17. The information given here about their service is what was provided in each obituary.
Chester “Chet” E. Dragon, 92, Melbourne, Florida., formerly Worthington, d. March 4; he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II in January 1944. He was a bugler before being sent to Germany to serve in the infantry.
Stanley J. Pelis, 95, Hadley, d. March 2; he entered into the Army Air Corps during World War II.
Edgar John Lesko, 94, Florence, d. March 4; Ed was in the military during World War II where first he was a navigator on a B-29 then as a Pilot of B-29s.
During his tour of duty he attended the top secret bomb commander’s school in New Mexico that qualified him to fly with the atomic bomb.
He was a member of the first class of pilots to graduate as the United States Air Force and not as U.S. Army Air Corps.
After leaving the Air Force he joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard where he flew the F-51 Mustang and F-94 Starfire jet.
William F. Thompson, 88, Holyoke, d. March 8; he was an Army veteran of the Korean War.
Roger Pierce Kellogg, 94, Rockport, formerly Northampton, d. March 7; Roger enlisted and served his country honorably in World War II, serving in the 15th Airforce as a 1st Lieutenant and Navigator in the B24 Liberator of the U.S. Army Air Corps, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Jacob “Jack” Van Gelder, 95, Amherst, d. March 8; Jacob enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force.
After enlistment, Jacob embarked on an intense training regimen that culminated in his graduation as an Aviation Cadet (second lieutenant) at Yale University in April 1944.
From there he went overseas to North Africa to serve in the 111 Army Airways Communication System Squadron, which was part of the 56th Army Airways Communication System.
During this period, as part of the European African Middle Eastern Campaign, Jacob was engaged in activities across North Africa maintaining the operation of funneling vital supplies further eastward to the Asian theatre. This involved everything from keeping air cargos flowing to “The Hump” as part of the India-China Airlift to the movement of B-29s for the Pacific Campaign.
After VJ day, Jacob stayed on until early 1946 to dismantle bases. He mustered out Honorably in 1946 as a First Lieutenant.
Richard Beaton, 82, Southampton, d. March 7; he was a U.S. Army veteran, having served honorably in the Korean War.
Edward Charles Bergeron, 83, Adams, d. March 12; he was an Army veteran of the Korean War, serving with company E, 35th Infantry Division in Korea and Hawaii, from 1951 until his honorable discharge as a sergeant in 1955.
He had also served with the Massachusetts National Guard for seven years.
Ralph U. Porter Jr., Easthampton, d. March 10; he was a U.S. Army veteran.