Veterans Voice: News for vets

PHOTO REQUEST – The Irish Cultural Center of Western New England is looking for pictures and short biographies of Irish-born veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces for a future photographic exhibit. Please forward a copy of the photo of the veteran, preferably in uniform, to the Irish Cultural Center, 429 Morgan Road, West Springfield, MA 01089; or email photo and information to irishcenterwne@gmail.com. Please be sure to include your contact information. Photos are due by Dec. 1, 2019.

THANKSGIVING DAY DINNER – Free to all at the Florence VFW, 18 Meadow St., Florence. Don’t be alone on Thanksgiving Day. Join us. Doors open at noon, and food will be served while supplies last. Hope to see you there. We are all family.

Following is a list of local veterans whose obituaries appeared in the Gazette between Nov. 1 and 14. The information here is what was provided in each obituary.

Joseph R. Leal, 101, South Hadley, d. Nov. 1; although he was deferred, Dr. Leal joined the Army in 1943. Following basic training he was stationed in Amherst, where he met Mary Desmond. They were married in April 1944 while he was on a weekend pass from Ft. Detrick, Maryland, where he was a chemical laboratory assistant. He was discharged from the Army in November, 1945.

Paul Joseph Laliberte, 58, Easthampton, d. Oct. 23; he enlisted in the Navy right after graduation and spent four years serving on the USS John F. Kennedy.

Charles J. Safron, 96, Easthampton, d. Nov. 4; although he had a deferment, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943, giving service until 1945 after he received a Bronze Battle Star and a Good Conduct Ribbon.

Robert Warren Fowler, 88, Lake Placid, Florida, formerly Amherst, d. Oct. 27; after high school he entered the United States Air Force.

John E. Marti, 76, Williamsburg, d. Oct. 30; he was a Vietnam War veteran.

John S. Banash, 94, North Hadley, d. Nov. 6; he served in the U.S. Navy in World War II as a 2nd class petty officer aboard several escort convoy ships in the Atlantic. He later became a member of the Scouts and Raiders in the Pacific until his discharge in February 1945.

Richard Suchocki, Northampton, d. Nov. 10; he joined the Navy during the Korean War, where he served for four years.

Richard M. “Dick” Howland, 79, Amherst, d. Nov. 7; he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, as had his father before him. When he returned, he was a founding member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War.