Purple Heart Recipients Honored At Purple Heart Ceremony

ANDOVER, MA — "You can judge the character of a community by the way it treats its veterans," said Brian Wilette, Massachusetts commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, before proclaiming Andover a Purple Heart Community, Thursday evening.

The designation, arranged by Director of Veteran Services Mark Comeiro, honors the town's military service history, including its 17 living Purple Heart recipients and over 350 dating back to World War I. The Purple Heart, the oldest U.S. military honor currently in use, is awarded to those wounded or killed in action. As a Purple Heart Community, Andover will display a sign marking its designation, fly a Purple Heart flag, and recognize Aug. 7 as Purple Heart Day annually, making it part of the Purple Heart Trail.

The recognition was made official with a ceremony Thursday evening, attended by four of the town's Purple Heart recipients, as well as other veterans, local officials, and representatives from the Massachusetts chapter of the Purple Heart order. The Hal McIntyre and the Andover High School band provided music, including a choral arrangement of the hymns of the service branches, the national anthem, America the Beautiful, and Taps.

"This designation is a tangible expression of our gratitude to the sons and daughters of our community who gave their lives or were wounded while defending our nation," said Comeiro.

Alongside the Purple Heart flag and sign, Comeiro also showed a new pair of plaques he had made listing every Andover Purple Heart recipient. The first version of the Purple Heart was created by George Washington in 1782, before being revived after World War I.

"I hope you can join me in being a proud Andover resident to call our community a Purple Heart Community," said Town Manager Andrew Flanagan.

State Rep. Tram Nguyen and Select Board Chair Laura Gregory both read proclamations recognizing the town's designation as a Purple Heart Community.

Former director of veteran services John Doherty, himself a purple heart recipient, made remarks on what the award means.

"This means a lot to us, those of us who have had the luck, if you call it that, to be awarded the Purple Heart," said Doherty. He described the horror of combat, and what one must go through to receive a Purple Heart.

"So you're in combat, and suddenly you're hit with something. At first you think, am I going to die? Then when you have the chance, you take stock of your wounds. If you're lucky, they're not life-threatening. Now you're thinking, someone has to get me out of here, someone has to help me," he said, before extolling the virtues of medics and corpsmen.

"A lot of us would not be here without these people, the trained medical personnel on the battlefield who render first aid," said Doherty. "In order to render first aid, you have go to wherever the person was wounded, where they were shot or grenaded."

Doherty then introduced the three other Andover Purple Heart recipients at the ceremony, William MacKenzie, Allen Skelly and Michael O'Neill.

MacKenzie, a retired police lieutenant, was a paratrooper and staff sergeant with the 173rd Airborne. "That was Westmoreland's Fire Brigade," said Doherty. Every time there was a problem, Gen. William Westomoreland would "plug them into whatever place was being overrun or threatened."

On one of those missions, MacKenzie's unit was ambushed, and he was wounded by gunfire and grenade shrapnel.

"He still carries the grenade shrapnel with him today, and he always will," Doherty said.

Allen Skelly, a longtime Andover Post Office employee, was a soldier in the army's 1st Cavalry Division. "One day, again, typically of the Vietnam war, they were ambushed by a superior [North Vietnamese] unit. Allen was shot with an AK-47, a lead slug... For 50 years he's carried around that souvenir of his service in Vietnam," Doherty.

Finally, retired firefighter Micheal O'Neill, joined on stage by his wife Barbara, was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne, doing reconnaissance.

"If you have a son you're proud of and you'd like him to take over the family business, don't put him the recon unit," said Doherty, calling it probably the "most dangerous unit in the army."

"He was wounded twice. Mike nearly died."

The O'Neills are also Gold Star parents, having lost their son Evan in Afghanistan. Evan enlisted after 9/11, becoming a paratrooper like his father. He was killed in a firefight after saving his unit from an improvised explosive device, Doherty said.

"Our son was a hero," Michael O'Neill said after the event. "He gave his life saving his fellow soldiers and he wouldn't have had it any other way."

Doherty then made brief remarks remembering a couple of other Andover veterans who died recently, before reading a list of all 84 Andover residents killed in action back to World War I.

"It's important that everyone does something," said Michael O'Neill, whether that means the military, or volunteering or serving their community in other ways.

James Bouchard, one of the state leaders of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, described why the Purple Heart Trail is important to him. Bouchard was shot with an AK-47 in Vietnam, like Skelly.

"When I first got out of Vietnam, even to the combat-wounded vets, not much was said... So in 2007, when my son was in the marines in Afghanistan, I wanted people to realize what's he gone through."

Bouchard's son is now a Purple Heart recipient as well; he's paralyzed and lost a leg to an explosive in Afghanistan. "I want people to see the Purple Heart Trail and remember. I do it for my son, and all other veterans."

"Andover is close to my heart," Bouchard said. "Even though we're from Western Massachusetts, they honored him here [when he returned]."

"I also want to honor the Gold Star mothers and fathers, and the associate members. We had a Gold Star family here tonight," Bouchard said.

Bouchard praised the variety of groups that showed up Thursday, including the police, fire, and American Legion color guards, and a boy scout troop.

"I'm happy for the Purple heart recipients of Andover. Any city and town that can [do this], that's important. That's a huge recognition," Comeiro said.

Christopher Huffaker: 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.