SUMMERFEST – Charity music festival will be held at Poor Richard’s Live Music Bar & Grill, 116 School St., Chicopee, Sunday from 2 to 8 p.m. All proceeds go to Veterans Inc. There will be bands, food trucks, and a cash bar.
A pinning ceremony to honor post 9/11 veterans, will be held at 4 p.m. The 10 minute ceremony will be led by House Rep (and US Army Major) John Velis, and Chicopee Director of Veterans Services Stephanie Shaw. Veterans who served as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn will receive special Commemorative I.D. Tags generously donated by the Call of Duty Endowment, as well as certificates provided by Veterans Inc.
Calling the Roll
Following is a list of local veterans whose obituaries appeared in the Gazette between July 4 and 25. The information here is what was provided in each obituary.
Abraham “Boomie” Stern, 84, Northampton, d. July 1; he joined the Merchant Marines and then the Army.
Thomas H. LaBelle, 95, Easthampton, d. July 2; He was a World War II U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, serving as a radio operator.
Eugene P. “Gene” Newman, 85, Hadley, d. July 4; he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for four years.
John E. Neveu, 84, South Hadley, d. March 12; he enlisted in the United States Navy and traveled the world over. He attained the rank of Second-Class Aviation Machinist Mate and was awarded the National Defense and Good Conduct Medals of Honor while in the Navy Flight Operations Department while serving during the Korean War.
Dr. Donald W. Abel, 81, Naples, Florida, formerly Northampton, d. July 6; he was a United States Navy veteran, serving as a staff surgeon at the Station hospital in Danang, Vietnam and at the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California, during the Vietnam War.
Frank J. Glenowicz Jr., 71, Whately, d. July 4; he was a member of the Army National Guard.
Edward J. Condon, 60, Northampton, d. July 6; he proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1979 to 1985.
Albert “Big Al” Hersh Sr., 77, Valrico, Florida, formerly Easthampton, d. July 7; he proudly served in the U.S. Army for six years, stationed in Worms, Germany, for 33 months.
Lewis J. Corneliusen, 94, South Hadley, d. June 25; he served in the United States Army Air Fore in Europe during World War II.
Armand Perras Jr., 67, Newport, New Hampshire, formerly Easthampton, d. July 6; he was a veteran of the United States Navy.
Norman “Norm” Wilbur Jr., 79, Leeds, d. July 16; he joined the Army National Guard in 1957.
Salvatore S. Giammarino, Goshen, d. July 18; he proudly served in the Army during World War II.
Frank A. Osciak, 94, Turners Falls, d. July 17; he was a World War II veteran, serving aboard the USS Cabrilla in the Asiatic Pacific Fleet, with the Commander Submarine Pacific 40.
Veterans Voice appears twice each month. Send submissions to Veterans Voice, c/o Brenda Nelson, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Box 299, Northampton, MA 01061; or email bnelson@gazettenet.com.