GALA/DINNER DANCE: The Pioneer Valley USO will celebrate 75 years of supporting service members with its sixth annual gala and dinner dance April 23 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. A social hour will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner. Menu options include filet mignon and vegetarian lasagna, and music will be provided by The Bronx Wanderers. Tickets are $75 per person; $65 per person for military. Call 1812 Paint and Body for tickets and information; 584-8396.
SUBMARINE VETS: The Western Mass Submarine Veterans meet at the World War II Club on Conz Street, Northampton 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 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, food stations, a raffle and a silent auction.
Tickets, which are $50 before April 4 and $60 afterward, can be purchased online at logcabin-delaney.com or by calling 535-5077.
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 call 617-899-4489, or 387-9966.
VET2VET CLASSES: Holyoke Community College will continue its series of free classes this spring for veterans and their families.
Called “Vet2Vet,” the 10 single-session classes 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:
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 18 and 31. The information given here about their service is what was provided in each obituary.
William Lord, 94, East Longmeadow, formerly of Sunderland, d. March 19; he enlisted in the U. S. Army. Bill’s 71st Infantry Division and was shipped to Europe during the waning months of World War II.
He endured combat as a rifleman and scout for his infantry platoon in France, Germany and Austria. This experience and that of encountering living victims of death and displacement camps were unforgettable.
Bill became an instructor of military personnel Post V-E day. He taught high school and college level courses to GIs at Freising and Oberammergau, Germany.
Bill served 16 months in the European Theater and returned stateside for separation from active duty at Fort Devens. He served in the Army Reserves for 10 years.
George Mather Vogel, 89, South Deerfield, d. March 23; he served in the Navy as a pharmacist mate 3rd Class druing World War II and the Korean War.
Stanley Crawford Harris Jr., 73, Sunderland, d. March 25; in 1968 Stanley chose to enlist in the U.S. Army, where he saw action in Vietnam and was tragically exposed to Agent Orange.
Ernest Alan Moeckel, 69, Colorado Springs, Colorado, d. March 23; he served in the U.S. Army and served one tour as a communications officer in Vietnam between 1969 and 1970, where one of his notable accomplishments was figuring out how to call his mother Christmas Day using the government phone system he put in place.
Peter B. Helliwell, 78, Northampton, d. March 27; he joined the U.S. Army after high school.
Veterans Voice appears twice each month. Readers are encouraged to submit announcements, questions, story ideas, military photos with captions and other materials of interest. Send submissions to Veterans Voice, c/o Brenda Nelson, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Box 299, Northampton, MA. 01061; or email bnelson@gazettenet.com.