MEMORIAL – The 70th anniversary memorial of the B-17 crash at Mount Tom in Holyoke is scheduled for Saturday. Transportation up to the Memorial Site will start at 8:30 a.m. with the program to begin at 10 a.m.
The gate at the Mount Tom Reservation will be opened for the event and the Civil Air Patrol will direct people to the parking and transportation up the mountain.
For additional information please call Jim Mahoney 322-5630 or Bob Cahillane 584-5545.
CAR SHOW – Vintage car enthusiasts will get an opportunity to show off their vehicles and see other great automobiles when the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System hosts a first-ever Hot Rod & Classic car show July 31 at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Central Western Massachusetts Health Care Systems in Northampton.
The free show takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is open to the public.
The event is being held to attract car enthusiasts to the VA campus as a way to give back to the veteran community in the Pioneer Valley.
Veteran organizations in the area are encouraged to set up information tables and meet with the public to educate people about the many programs and services available for veterans. VA enrollment specialists will be on hand assisting eligible veterans to enroll in VA health care.
A food truck will offer grilled items and ice cream for purchase. A local DJ will play music, and trophies for the top cars and other prizes for participants will be available.
“Food and a summer car show is a great way for people to get together, and we invite anyone who’d like to see our beautiful campus and to meet with veterans to come up to the VA campus in Leeds,” said Anne Murray, the director of voluntary services for the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System.
Dave Rice with the Stars and Stripes Club in Springfield, is helping with the event as is John Kingsley from the Northampton Benevolent and Protective of Elks Lodge 997 in Florence.
For more information and for veteran organizations to set up a vendor table, contact Anne Murray at 582-3042.
Following is a list of local veterans whose obituaries appeared in the Gazette between June 25 and July 7. The information given here about their service is what was provided in each obituary.
Raymond Audray Chagnon, 70, Leeds, formerly Greenfield, d. Feb. 27; he was in the Army from July 25, 1962 to Jan. 25, 1966 and served in both Korea and Vietnam. He was a combat veteran of both wars and served as a gunner on helicopters in Vietnam.
Donald Sidney Dorrington, 90, Cummington, d. June 22; enlisting at age 17, Don served with the 5th Marine Division in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He has been honored as a survivor of the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. Don’s story is part of the Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
William T. Malo Jr., 69, Easthampton, d. June 21; he was a Vietnam veteran, serving with the U.S. Navy.
Bernard F. “Bud” Wilkes Jr., 74, Sunapee, New Hampshire, formerly Hatfield, d. June 22; he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, eventually serving 31 years both active and reserved duty retiring with the rank of colonel in 1993.
Stanley K. Raymond Jr., 62, Bennington, Vermont, formerly Springfield, d. June 15; he was a U.S. Army veteran.
Radie G. Bunn, 75, Springfield, formerly Amherst, d. June 19; he served in the Army in Korea after that country’s war.
John Connors, 70, Florence, d. June 29; he was a Vietnam veteran with the United States Army 25th Infantry Division, and served proudly.
Kimball Westney Howes, 89, Florence, d. June 27; he received appointment to the United States Marine Academy, Kings Point, in May of 1945. He completed his sea duty in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific theaters.
Alexander Charles Chapman, 89, Easthampton, d. June 29; he was a World War II, United States Navy veteran, served in the Pacific Theatre and was a veteran of the invasion of Okinawa with the Navy Seabees. He received the American campaign, Asian Pacific campaign and bronze campaign medals.
Joseph P. Callahan, 75, Florence, d. July 2; he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1959 to 1960.
Walter John Karpinski, 91, Greenfield, d. July 5; in 1943, he entered the United States Navy, serving with the Fleet Air Command, South Pacific, Yeoman, Second Class. He was honorably discharged from the Navy.
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.