They were the two youngest in a family of seven brothers and sisters, just a couple years apart, so they spent a lot of time together while growing up in Florence.
“Where one went, the other went,” says Gerard “Jerry” Vanasse of Florence when he recalls his late brother, Philip Richard Vanasse.
For Gerard Vanasse, who’s now 79, and for the other members of his family, their time with Philip ended up being too short.
In May 1967, on his second tour of duty as a Marine corporal in Vietnam, serving as a gunner on a Sikorsky H34 helicopter, Philip Vanasse was killed in a midair collision between his helicopter and another U.S. H34. He was 27.
“It was really tough to hear that,” Gerard Vanasse said recently. “My mother took it really bad, my sisters, too.”
Philip Vanasse was the first serviceman from Northampton to die in the war; he was one of three from the city who would eventually die in Vietnam, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
Gerard Vanasse had been exchanging letters with his brother, ever since Philip had enlisted in the Marines in 1965, which was the last time the two had seen each other.
“He couldn’t say certain things, details, because (his letters) had to go through a censor,” Vanasse said. “But he did say (Vietnam) was hell, and this was going to be his last hitch.”
Vanasse has been donating to the Gazette’s Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund for several years, and this year he contributed $50 in his brother’s name. He’s made previous contributions in memory of other family members and friends who have passed; with the 50th anniversary of Philip’s death approaching, he wanted to recall his brother and their time growing up.
“We hung around together,” he said. “Went to the movies, horsed around, played baseball — all of that.”
The two had also both attended the former Sacred Heart Grammar School and then Smith Vocational High School in the city.
The Toy Fund, named after a former business manager at the Gazette, began in 1933 to help families in need during the Depression. Today, the fund distributes vouchers to families in need for each child from age 1 to 14.
Vanasse said his brother would likely have appreciated that idea: “You want to help kids at Christmastime.”
His family had gone through the Depression itself, and Philip Vanasse had served several years in the Navy after leaving Smith Vocational. He later worked at Joe’s Pizza and the former Jack August Seafood in Northampton before enlisting in the Marines.
“Times were hard — there wasn’t a lot of work,” said Gerard Vanasse.
The younger Vanasse earned 10 Air Medals, three citations and a Purple Heart before the May 1967 crash that took his life and that of three fellow crewmen in his helicopter.
“He did the best he could,” Gerard Vanasse said of his brother.
To be eligible for the Toy Fund, families must live in any Hampshire County community except Ware, or in the southern Franklin County towns of Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately, Shutesbury and Leverett.
Those families receive certificates to buy holiday gifts through Dec. 31, 2016 at participating local retailers.
Berkshire Children and Families, at 220 Russell St. in Hadley, verifies families’ eligibility, and the Gazette covers costs associated with the drive, freeing all donations to fund the vouchers. Most families who receive assistance are referred by social service agencies.
The following stores are participating this year: A2Z Science and Learning Store, 57 King St., Northampton; Deals & Steals, One Pearl St., Northampton; JCPenney, 341 Russell St., Hadley; The Toy Box, 201 N. Pleasant St., Amherst; Wilson’s Dept. Store, 258 Main St., Greenfield; Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, 227 Russell St., Hadley; and Target, 367 Russell St., Hadley.
Donations to the Toy Fund may be dropped off at or mailed to the Daily Hampshire Gazette at 115 Conz St. in Northampton, 01060, or made through Gazettenet at toyfund.gazettenet.com.