Good afternoon all,
The latest edition of The BLUF – Bottom Line Up Front is now available here: The BLUF EOVS Newsletter – Spring/Summer 2026 | Mass.gov
We're excited to introduce a new and improved reading experience. Rather than downloading a PDF, The BLUF is now available as a live webpage on Mass.gov, making it easier to read on any device, navigate between sections, and quickly access the information you need.
This edition includes highlights such as:
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Updates and messages from EOVS leadership
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New and expanded veteran programs and services
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Women Veterans Network news and recognition of the 2026 Deborah Sampson Award recipient
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Resources and opportunities available through local Veterans Service Officers (VSOs)
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Upcoming events, outreach initiatives, and ways to stay connected with EOVS and the veteran community.
The August LSP schedule
Please share with your circles.
Joe
Wreathes Across America North Andover 2026
Please see and share the promotion for this December.
LSP – MAJ Richard T. Kelley Square
The next Lawrence Square Project:
Vietnam War Veteran/Special Forces & Highly Regarded Attorney
Richard Taffe Kelley Square
July 30 (Thursday)
4pm
Intersection of Sanborn St and Dana St
A blurb from my research and portion to be published:
Kelley’s second deployment to Vietnam was in 1969 when he was with the 1st Special Forces Group. During his Vietnam deployments he was involved in frequent, highly classified “combat patrols in remote areas at the intercept of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.” It was here that he “fought alongside the 100 or more (Vietnamese Montagnard) tribesmen” in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Kelley’s unit “would ultimately be deployed to some eighty-five locations in support of 3,500 Special Forces troops across Vietnam…. They were a rare hybrid, bred by the necessities of a brutal war.” Kelley was highly decorated for his bravery during the war as he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster and several other Meritorious and Service medals.
Marc
“Fan” me on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/6bf7byf
Twitter: @LaplanteMarc
Twitter: @LaplanteMarc
New England Center and Home for Veterans standown Friday Aug 7th,10-2
Please see the attached flyer and share it with your Veterans.
Joe
Fwd: Additional Summer Office Hours!
Legislative hours in Boxford and surrounding communities.
Essex County Sheriff’s Department’s POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony [Friday, September 18, 2026]
Please find the attached Save the Date for the Essex County Sheriff’s Department’s POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony, to be held on Friday, September 18, 2026.
If you are able, we would greatly appreciate it if you would post this flyer in your office and share it with the veterans you serve. It would mean a great deal to have members of our veteran community join us as we honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s POWs and MIAs.
Thank you for your continued service to our veterans and for your support.
Sincerely,
The next Lawrence Square Project July 23rd 4pm
The next Lawrence Square Project:
Highly awarded WW2 Veteran
Thomas S. Kattar Square
July 23 (Thursday)
4pm
Intersection of Lowell St and Hampshire St
A blurb from my research and portion to be published:
“His story is one of legend. In the early days of fighting, his company got a call that soldiers at the front were being attacked with heavy fire and they needed urgent help. So, Kattar volunteered to assist. He killed seven enemy combatants and helped wiped out a machinegun nest. He carried one soldier on his back and went back and did the same for a second soldier. While Kattar was advancing to rescue the two soldiers, he was hit with shrapnel that was unremoved for the rest of his life. Kattar was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for his heroism.”
LSP – PVT Daniel S. Judge Square
The next Lawrence Square Project:
Killed in Combat in the Korean War
Daniel S. Judge Square
July 9 (Thursday)
4pm
Intersection of Lowell St and Winter St
A blurb from Lawrence City Councilor Marc Laplante's research and portion to be published:
“Soon he was back to Korea. By late January 1951, Judge’s division was part of a counteroffensive against the Chinese troops who began pushing the United Nations’ forces southward months earlier. Meanwhile, in Lawrence on Valentines Day 1950, Judge’s mother was preparing cookies and chocolates to send to her son when she received a knock on the door with news that her son was missing. It would be another month before the Army would announce that Judge was killed on January 30, 1951.”
Joe
Independence Day events Saturday July 4th, events in North Andover on the Common
Join us on the Town common this Saturday for a full day of
revolutionary celebration!
