National Guard, Always on Guard Since 1636

National Guard Birth Date We recognize December 13th as the birthday of the National Guard. On this date in 1636, the first militia regiments in North America were organized in Massachusetts. Based upon an order of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's General Court, the colony's militia was organized into three permanent regiments to better defend the colony. 

Today, the descendants of these first regiments - the 181st Infantry, the 182nd Infantry, the 101st Field Artillery, and the 101st Engineer Battalion of the Massachusetts Army National Guard – share the distinction of being the oldest units in the U.S. military. December 13, 1636, thus marks the beginning of the organized militia, and the birth of the National Guard's oldest organized units is symbolic of the founding of all the state, territory, and District of Columbia militias that collectively make up today's National Guard.

What is the oldest Army National Guard Unit? The oldest Army National Guard units are the 101st Engineer Battalion, the 101st Field Artillery Regiment, the 181st Infantry Regiment, and the 182nd Infantry Regiment, all of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. These four units are the descendents of the original three militia regiments organized by colonial Massachusetts legislation on December 13, 1636, and share the distinction of being the oldest units in the U.S. military.

Navy Capt. Paul "Bud" Rogers to be buried at sea

Navy veteran, who was supposed to be on USS Thresher, to be buried where submarine sank
The Day
By Julia Bergman Day staff writer
November 26, 2016

Groton — A Navy veteran will soon be laid to rest at the bottom of the ocean, more than 200 miles off the New England coast. A submarine from the Naval Submarine Base will fulfill the wish of deceased Navy Capt. Paul "Bud" Rogers to be buried at sea. During routine operations, the submarine will transport Rogers' cremated remains to where the USS Thresher (SSN-593) sank. The Navy is not releasing the name of the submarine or the date the burial will take place, since it does not discuss submarine operations.

Rogers, who spent much of his 41-year career serving on submarines, was supposed to be an observer on the Thresher during the boat's sea trials, but his supervisor, at the last minute, decided that he didn't have enough experience and replaced him with someone else.

It was just a day or two later, according to Rogers' wife, that on April 10, 1963, the Thresher sank — killing all 129 men aboard.

Rogers was devastated, and felt survivor's remorse for much of his life.

"Bud felt that he should've been the one to go down with the Thresher, not this other man," his wife, Barbara "Bobbye" Rogers, 86, said from her home in Wernersville, Penn. "All those years, it bothered him."
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Massachusetts College Removed American Flag? Seriously!

The state where the Revolutionary started raised a bunch of whiners afraid of the flag patriots died for? And the college gave into them, taking it down...can't publish the rest of what I'm thinking right now.

Veterans to Protest at College That Stopped Flying US Flags
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AMHERST, Mass
Nov 27, 2016

Veterans are planning a protest at a western Massachusetts college facing criticism from around the country for its decision to stop flying U.S. flags after students allegedly burned a flag in protest of Donald Trump's presidential election.

Local veterans and others intend to place hundreds of U.S. flags on the streets around Hampshire College in Amherst on Sunday, as part of what organizers are calling a "peaceful demonstration of freedom."
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Hampshire College In Amherst Stops Flying All Flags
CBS News Boston
November 22, 2016

“There were a range of views on campus, including people whose experience growing up have made the flag a symbol of fear,"

A worker takes down an American flag on the campus of Hampshire College. (WBZ-TV)

AMHERST (CBS) — It’s been a week of flag-related controversy for Hampshire College, after the school’s Board of Trustees made the decision to lower the U.S. flag on campus to half-staff in the wake of the presidential election–and then decided to remove the flag entirely after a wave of backlash.

Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash told WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Ben Parker he knows it’s a controversial decision to remove the flag, but he wanted to create a dialogue among those with differing opinions about the symbol.
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Vietnam Veteran Gives Living History Lesson in Worcester

Vietnam vets relive war for students with straight talk at park
Worcester Telegram
Brad Petrishen
October 7, 2016

“We tell them, ‘Your questions are our therapy,’” Mr. Polaski said as Friday’s crop of students – 170 eighth-graders from Lowell – pulled up in four buses. “All’s we do is hope somebody remembers it.”

WORCESTER – “What was it like to kill your first person?” the first student asked Phil Madaio as the morning sun shone on the chiseled slabs of stone that forge the state’s Vietnam memorial.

“Not good,” the Vietnam veteran replied in a deep, gravelly voice. “But you can’t think about that long or you’ll be laying there next to him.”

Grim truths abounded Friday as four veterans shared their experiences at Green Hill Park. The sessions are not always easy, but the men, part of a local group called Vietnam Veterans for the Community, know that while granite lasts forever, they will not.

“It’s living history,” Casey Polaski, 68, told a collection of students gathered in front of the memorial’s seminal structure, a ring of granite slabs bearing the names of the 1,547 dead or missing soldiers from Massachusetts.

Dedicated in 2002, the memorial this summer was approved for $200,000 in repairs and $50,000 in annual maintenance. Mr. Madaio, Mr. Polaski and their friends are always shocked at how many people don’t know it exists; they offer tours here often, speaking for men who cannot, and sharing a burden they will always carry.
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Fraud Veteran Owned Business Head Gets Jail and Fine

Chelmsford man sentenced in veteran-shamming case
Wicked Local Chelmsford
September 27, 2016

A Chelmsford man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with recruiting veterans as figurehead owners of a construction company in order to receive specialized government contracts, according to a press release.

“Taking advantage of set-aside programs intended to support the economic welfare and stability of veterans is appalling,” said U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “Through his scheme, Mr. Gorski undercut the efforts of hard-working veterans to compete for valuable government contracts and, as such, defrauded federal agencies dedicated to serving veterans of our armed services.”

David Gorski, 51, of Chelmsford, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor to 30 months in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $1 million, the press release said.

In June 2016, Gorski was found guilty by a jury following a 12-day trial of conspiring to defraud the United States by impairing the lawful governmental function of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the General Services Administration, the Army, and the Navy in the implementation and administration of the Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Program. He was also convicted of four counts of wire fraud.
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Pearl Jam Raising Veterans Voices

Pearl Jam to help fund ‘Veterans’ Voices’ project
The Recorder
Diane Broncaccio
Recorder Staff
August 26, 2016

“The Veterans’ Voices program takes participants out of the broken places, the darkness, the hopelessness.” Robin Lane

SHELBURNE FALLS — For 15 years, rock musician/singer-songwriter Robin Lane of Shelburne Falls has been using music to help people recover emotionally from sexual assault, child abuse or domestic violence. Through her nonprofit, Songbird Sings, Lane has also worked with military veterans, using music to help soldiers reconnect to feelings that have been numbed by war trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and mental health problems.

This summer, “Veterans’ Voices” will get extra help from the proceeds of two Pearl Jam concerts held this summer in Boston’s Fenway Park.

Veterans’ Voices is one of four local programs picked by Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy Foundation to receive $1 for every ticket sold for the Fenway Park concerts held on Aug. 5 and 7. The Pearl Jam donation is to be followed by another contribution to be made by “The Foundation to be Named Later,” (FTBNL), which provides ongoing support to Songbird programs.

According to Vitalogy, the Fenway baseball park concerts broke attendance records with 72,722 tickets sold over two nights. That means Songbird Sings will receive $18,180.

“The funding provided … will be used to create songwriting workshops for veterans with PTSD and will allow Songbird Sings to expand programming and reach more survivors, in order to ease suffering caused by PTSD,” Lane said, in a news release. “A huge thanks to Pearl Jam and FTBNL for their support. We couldn’t be more grateful.”
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Korean War Veteran Gets Dying Wish, A Uniform To Be Buried In

Marine gets his dying wish: A uniform to be buried in
Providence Journal
By Carol Kozma
Journal Staff Writer
Posted Aug. 17, 2016

Normand Dupras, of Swansea, had served in the Korean War. At 86, and now suffering from dementia, it was his dying wish a few years back that he could be buried in the uniform, he said.

DIGHTON, Mass. — Normand Dupras sat at the Dighton Nursing Center, amazed to hear from his granddaughter, Dona Silva, that a group of people was there to see him.

“We’ve got a surprise for you," Silva told him Wednesday.

That’s when Glenn Dusablon, of the Veterans Memorial Museum, in Woonsocket, presented Dupras with a full Marine Corps dress uniform, including the white hat, belt and gloves.

“I love this," Dupras said, looking over each item.

Dupras, of Swansea, Massachusetts, a former reserve police officer in that town, served in the Korean War. At 86, and now suffering from dementia, it was his dying wish a few years back to be buried in the uniform, he said.

Asked what happened to his former uniform, Dupras said he did not know, but believes it was taken at a hospital.
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What if Capt. Khan's Mom Was Your Mom?

Massachusetts Congressman, Veteran Lashes Out at Donald Trump
Beacon Hill Patch
By Alison Bauter (Patch Staff)
August 2, 2016

"As a veteran, I can't imagine what it would be like if Donald Trump treated my mom that way." Rep. Seth Moulton

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton had harsh words for Trump in light of the GOP nominee's attacks on Gold Star Khan family.

Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton had those and other withering words for Donald Trump Tuesday, joining a bipartisan barrage of condemnation in the wake of the Republican presidential nominee's comments toward a family whose son died serving in Iraq.

Trump has been taking heavy fire since critiquing Khizr and Ghazala Khan, Gold Star parents of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed while serving in Iraq by a car bomber. Khizr Khan spoke against the GOP nominee at this year's Democratic National Convention, prompting harsh words in return from Trump.

Khan and his wife have both condemned Trump, saying he "knows nothing of sacrifice."
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Police Standoff With PTSD Veteran Ends with Beanbags

Police use beanbags guns to end armed standoff in Holyoke
Associated Press
July 15, 2016

The chief says he thinks the 26-year-old man served in the Army and may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He says there may be other weapons in the home.

HOLYOKE, Mass. (AP) - A six-hour standoff between police and an armed and distraught veteran barricaded inside his Holyoke home has ended with no major injuries.

Police Chief James Neiswanger (NICE’-wong-er) says the standoff ended at about 1 a.m. Friday when police used beanbag rounds to disable the man when he stepped outside with a rifle on his chest.
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Danvers Marine Honored For Taking Action on Dilapidated Barracks

Danvers Marine to be honored on Capitol Hill
Wicked Local Danvers
By Jeff Pope
Posted Jul. 11, 2016

Downing, a platoon sergeant with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., found that the Marines were living in dilapidated barracks. According to an article in the Military Times, Downing figured out how to get materials needed to renovate 90 barracks rooms, common areas and duty posts at Camp Lejeune. He collected appliances and furniture from barracks that were being shut down.

Gunnery Sgt. Brian Downing was named
the Marine Corps Times Service
Member of the Year.Courtesy photo

DANVERS
Gunnery Sgt. Brian Downing of Danvers will be honored as the Marine Corps Times Service Member of the Year at a gala on Capitol Hill Thursday evening.

Downing, a 2001 graduate of Danvers High School, has served four tours of duty overseas, including two to Iraq and one to Afghanistan, but is being honored for what he did to help other Marines here at home.

“I was really stunned when I read the article (in the Military Times) about him, because he kind of keeps it close to the chest,” said Downing’s twin sister, Jennifer Corbin, of Danvers. “I knew about some of the stuff that he had done abroad on his deployments.”
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Sailor from Massachusetts Died in Djibouti

U.S. Navy: Sailor dies of non-combat-related injury in Djibouti
UPI
By Shawn Price
Updated June 23, 2016

WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- A 38-year-old sailor in the U.S. Navy died from a non-combat-related injury in Djibouti, the Department of Defense announced.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew J. Clement, 38, of Massachusetts, died June 21while deployed to Camp Lemonnier. The incident is under investigation.
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Man Who Robbed Disabled Veteran Found and Charge

Man accused of stealing from disabled Marine arrested Kevin Lima accused in Yarmouth theft
WCVB News
Jun 23, 2016

YARMOUTH, Mass. —A man accused of stealing from a disabled U.S. Marine combat veteran and his wife who were vacationing on Cape Cod was arrested Thursday.

Kevin Lima, 36, of Acushnet, was arrested in Plymouth after he was identified as the person who stole hundreds of dollars, personal belongings, military identifications and specially made hearing aids from Robert Watson and his wife, authorities said.

The family was vacationing in Plymouth from North Carolina and took a day trip to the Cape Cod Inflatable Park, where their belongings were stolen.

"It’s a sigh of relief knowing he’s behind bars, but the after effect can stay with you forever,” Robert Watson said. “The way I see it is, if he's willing to do it to me after knowing my life as a Marine then there's no telling the next person he would have gotten.”

Lima is scheduled to face charges Thursday in Barnstable District Court.

At the time of the incident, the Watsons said they met a man and his young son at the park who befriended them and thanked him for his service as a Marine.
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Non-Veteran Owed Business Guilty of $100 Million Fraud

Executive of sham ‘veteran-owned’ firm found guilty of $100m fraud
Boston Globe
By Dan Adams GLOBE STAFF
JUNE 17, 2016

Government regulations mandate that a “Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business” must be majority-owned and managed by veterans who became disabled while serving in the military to receive preferential awards of federal contracts.

A Chelmsford man who won $100 million in federal construction contracts by saying that his construction company was owned by disabled veterans was found guilty of fraud by a federal jury in Boston Wednesday.

Prosecutors said David Gorski recruited two veterans to stand in as the majority owners and top executives of his construction firm so it could win federal contracts that give preference to veteran-owned companies.

In reality, prosecutors said, Gorski controlled Legion Construction as it won numerous Army, Navy and US Department of Veterans Affairs contracts from 2006 to 2010.

Gorski paid himself salaries as high as $356,000, according to court documents, and also paid his wife —who worked full-time for the town of Chelmsford — $400 a week.

Gorski was convicted of four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the government. He is scheduled to be sentenced in September, and could face up to 25 years in prison.
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Soldier Died After Being Found at Fort Hood Sportsmen Center

Update
The soldier has been identified.

Spc. Bernardino Guevara Jr., 21, of Roxbury, Massachusetts

Soldier found unresponsive at Fort Hood Sportsmen’s Center later dies
KWTX News
By Paul J. Gately
June 7, 2016

FORT HOOD, Texas (KWTX) Investigators at Fort Hood were looking into the death of a soldier who was found unresponsive Monday at the post’s Sportsmen’s Center, a III Corps and Fort Hood media spokesman confirmed.

The spokesman said the soldier was unresponsive at the scene and later died, but no other details were available.
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Memorial Day can be painful for military men and women

Honoring fallen veterans for their bravery and service this Memorial Day
WWLP 22 News
Tashanea Whitlow
Published: May 28, 2016

Anziano told 22News, his neighbor suffered from PTSD. Two months after returning home from a tour in Iraq, he took his own life. “He seemed fine, but you can’t tell with PTSD. People can hide it very well. They hide it very well.”

AGAWAM, Mass. (WWLP) – Days like Memorial Day can be painful for military men and women to remember their fallen brothers. Memorial Day is a time we remember those who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

But for soldiers who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, this time and every day, can be difficult. “It’s a silent killer. I can be standing in front of you, suffering and you wouldn’t even see, because I can put a smile on my face,” said Anthony Anziano of West Springfield.
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Vietnam War Veterans Remember April 30, 1975 And Each Other

Massachusetts Veterans Celebrate Loyalty Day and the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War
DVIDS
Story by Staff Sgt. Timothy Koster
April 27, 2016

“The United States was in a mess over the Vietnam War and the image of the average Soldier coming back, whenever that person came back, at the American people saw them as baby killers, they were spit upon, and they were very disrespected,” said Keith Jackson, Massachusetts VFW state judge advocate and master of ceremonies for the event.

FORT DEVENS, Massachusetts – William Vicini, Senior Vice Commander of the Massachusetts Disabled American Veterans organization, receives a service pin from Fort Devens Garrison Commander, Lt. Col. Charlette K. Woodard, during the Loyalty Day program and 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, here, April 24, 2016. Loyalty Day is a special day for Americans to reaffirm their loyalty to the United States and to recognize the heritage of American freedom.

FORT DEVENS, Massachusetts – Vietnam veterans from several posts of the Massachusetts Veterans of Foreign War and the Disabled American Veterans organizations, along with members of the Fort Devens community and other veteran organizations, joined together for a combined celebration of Loyalty Day and the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, here, April 24, 2016.

The Vietnam War concluded on April 30, 1975 and Loyalty day is a special day, typically observed annually on May 1 – signifying the day after the conclusion of the war – for Americans to reaffirm their loyalty to the United States and to recognize the heritage of American Freedom.

When younger Americans think about the Vietnam War, some see images from movies like Full Metal Jacket, Good Morning Vietnam, or Apocalypse Now, while others only see the black and white images printed in their text books from a time long, long ago.

Unlike other wars of the 20th century in which America has fought, such as World War II and the Korean War, which have a quickly dwindling veteran population, those who fought against the communist armies in the jungles of Vietnam are still quite numerous – and extremely proud of their service, despite the hardships they faced when they came home.
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Massachusetts State Trooper Killed In Crash Was Also a Marine Veteran

State trooper, Marine vet killed in crash during traffic stop, driver charged 
Associated Press 
March 17, 2016

Clardy joined the state police in 2005. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He leaves behind a wife and six children.

(Paul Kapteyn/Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP)

A Massachusetts State Police trooper who was injured in a car crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike has died.

Forty-four-year-old Thomas Clardy died Wednesday.

Police say Clardy had stopped a car for a traffic violation when his cruiser was hit by another vehicle around noon in Charlton.
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Fort Hood Soldier Shocked By Mom's Visit

Fort Hood: Soldier’s wish comes true and in surprise fashion
KWTX News
Nia Harden
March 16, 2016

"Unbeknownst to Jozokos, however, his mother, Sandra Holloway, 49, decided to make a lifestyle change, shed more than 200 pounds, and on Wednesday she surprised her son during physical training." read the story here

Florida Deputy John Robert Kotfila, Jr. Killed By Wrong Way Driver

Florida deputy killed after being hit by wrong way driver
FOX News
March 13, 2016

A Florida sheriff’s deputy was killed after his car collided head-on with another vehicle early Saturday, authorities said.

Deputy John Kotfila, Jr. (center) pictured with his father John Kotfila, Sr.

and his brother Michael Kotfila.(Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

John Robert Kotfila, Jr., 30, was a deputy at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. He had just left a hospital where he had been working on an investigation when his vehicle collided with the vehicle of a driver who was heading the wrong way on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

Erik Thomas McBeth, 31, of Hudson, was identified as the other driver in the accident and died at Tampa General Hospital, The Tampa Tribune reported. He was heading west on an elevated highway that was dedicated to eastbound traffic at the time and slammed into Kotflia’s 2013 Dodge Charger at around 2:45 a.m. in Tampa.
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FOX25 Investigates Soldier's Car Lease, Bank Gives Car

Bank decides to relieve car lease for active duty soldier after FOX25 story 
FOX 25 WFXT 
by: Kerry Kavanaugh 
Feb 20, 2016 

PEABODY, Mass. — A Peabody soldier was called to active duty and at first a bank wouldn't give her any relief on her car lease. 

After FOX25 brought the situation to the bank's attention, not only did they forgive the lease, Chase Bank is allowing the soldier to keep the car.

"She's been paying the lease for three years...they should give back to our soldiers a little something," Roxanne Katz, the soldier's mother.

Roxanne Katz said as long as she can remember, her daughter has wanted to serve her country. When she got the call for basic training, the Peabody soldier, Kristina Katz, had just two weeks to get her affairs in order. She tried to terminate the car lease on her Mazda 6, which she would no longer be able to drive or afford. She still had a year left on the 48 month lease, but her family said at first, Chase Bank wasn't budging.

"They sent her a letter saying that they denied the early termination," said Roxanne Katz.

She has since shipped out to her basic training and her family was still trying to get her some relief. FOX25 Investigates learned relief on car leases falls under the Service Members Civil Relief Act.
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