10 January, 2023
The recent Vets Breakfast was highlighted by inclement weather that was braved by dozens of local veterans. Usual discussions nevertheless proceeded, along with a delicious meal provided by an anonymous donor and prepared by the Senior Center staff.
Military events that occurred on January 6th in past years were the main theme. January 6th was the date of the current breakfast. The group photo, below, demonstrates some of the veterans who participated; e.g., L to R, Robert Hole, USN, with a 1942 photo of Bob Feller the first baseball Hall of Fame member to volunteer for WW II combat. Feller stands at his anti-aircraft gun mount on the USS Alabama (BB-60); he was in charge of a 24-man crew. Bill Hamilton, USN, with a dynamic view of the light carrier USS Columbia (CL-56) being hit by enemy fire near the Philippines, 13 were KIA, 44 WIA. Ted Hoyt, US Army, displays a view of Brigadier General Frank D. Merrill when he was put in command of a volunteer unit that soon became known as "Merrill's Marauders." Merrill was born in Hopkinton; his family relocated when he was a child. Mike Arakelian, USAF, holds an image of the wife and son of President-Elect Franklin Pierce who occupied a summer home in Andover, Mass. On a return trip to the family's main home in NH, a railroad accident took the life of the 11-year old son. Bob Letendre, US Army, demonstrates a pack howitzer placement which is well-known to Hopkinton veterans through the experiences of Richard Brault. Art Brooks, USN, holds a copy of his ship's yearbook from the time in the Pacific just prior to the build-up of the Viet Nam conflict.
The next Vets Breakfast is scheduled for 3 February 2023.
