Former Dedham Woman Resigns from Veterans' Services Department Amid Questions About Earned Medals

DEDHAM, MA - A former Dedham woman who served as an employment coordinator for the state Department of Veterans’ Services has resigned over questions concerning the Purple Heart and Bronze Star she claimed she earned in Afghanistan and Iraq.

State officials tell the Boston Globe that Mary Gallagher has resigned. She is a former Air Force reservist and sits on the Republican State Committee.

Questions around her military service stem from a May 18 video posted on YouTube and the state government's website. In the video, she says that she saw an Army Ranger killed in Afghanistan. In addition, the military honors were mentioned in Facebook endorsements from her state committee campaign.

The Air Force Reserve has no record of the medals and the Army has no record that the soldier mentioned by Gallagher was killed.

In 2014, Gallagher told her alleged story to Patch, but did not mention any honors or deaths.

Mentions of the Army Ranger were removed from the video after it was published.

The website and video featuring Gallagher have been removed by the department.

Click to read more from the Boston Globe.