Healey-Driscoll Administration Honors Massachusetts Veterans and Families at Annual Veterans Day Ceremony
BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago today joined veterans, service members, and Gold Star families at the Annual Veterans Day Ceremony inside the Hall of Flags at the Massachusetts State House. 
From the Governor's office
The event brought together state and local leaders to honor those who have served and to recognize Massachusetts’ ongoing commitment to veterans through expanded programs, stronger partnerships, and record investments in care, housing, and support.
“Massachusetts is home to generations of heroes who have defended our freedom and strengthened our communities,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Today we honor their service and reaffirm our administration’s promise to ensure every veteran receives the services and support they deserve, whether through housing, employment, or health care.”
 |
| From the Governor's office |
“As the daughter of a Navy veteran, I know how deeply military service shapes families,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Our administration is committed to honoring that legacy by building a state where veterans and their loved ones are supported every step of the way.”
“It was extraordinarily meaningful to welcome Mary Brigham and her three sons, whose father and grandfather, Sgt. Thomas P. Flynn of Worcester, was a World War I veteran and Purple Heart recipient,” said Treasurer Goldberg. “Our Unclaimed Property team had recently found 6 Purple Hearts in safety deposit boxes. Sgt. Flynn’s medal was one of them. We are so grateful to him and all veterans for their sacrifices on behalf of us and our country.”
 |
| From the Governor's office |
“Veterans Day reminds us that service never ends,” said Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago. “It lives on in the way we care for one another, build community, and honor the people who wore the uniform. I feel humbled to serve those who served us and proud of the progress we continue to make together.”
The ceremony featured performances by the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, the Lynn English High School Marine Corps JROTC, and Boston Police Officer Kim Tavares, who performed the national anthem.
Two honorees received this year’s Veterans Day awards:
- Andrew Biggio, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Boston police officer, and author of The Rifle: Combat Stories from America’s Last WWII Veterans, received the Captain Thomas Hudner Jr. Valor Award for exemplifying extraordinary courage and service to the veteran community.
- Soldier On, a Pittsfield-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ending veteran homelessness, received the Captain Thomas Kelley Community Engagement Award for its decades of leadership providing housing, support, and stability for veterans across Massachusetts.
The 2025 ceremony also highlighted the End Veteran Homelessness Campaign, a signature initiative of the Healey-Driscoll Administration that has placed over 1,000 veterans in permanent housing since its launch in 2024. The campaign, led by EOVS in partnership with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, combines data-driven outreach, coordinated care, and historic investments to ensure every veteran in Massachusetts has a safe, stable home.
The ceremony further recognized the 2025 Acts of Service Campaign, part of Massachusetts’ Semiquincentennial commemoration, which uplifts stories of community service and encourages residents to give back to those who have served.
Since its establishment in March 2023, the Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) has transformed how Massachusetts delivers care to veterans. Under Secretary Santiago’s leadership, both the Massachusetts Veterans Homes at Chelsea and Holyoke achieved full state and federal licensure and certification; the HERO Act was signed into law expanding benefits and protections; and the state launched its largest-ever investment in housing and services for veterans and their families.
沒有留言:
發佈留言