Medfield Gold Star Families Attend Gold Star Veteran Plaque Unveiling

Medfield Gold Star Families Attend Gold Star Veteran Plaque Unveiling

The American Legion Beckwith Post 110 members, along with the women in the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion gathered on Tuesday evening in the Beckwith Function Room at Aura at Medfield, on Peter Kristof Way, located on the site where the American Legion building had previously stood for nearly fifty years.

The owners of Aura at Medfield, Bill Lane and Ed Coolbrith worked closely with this group, specifically Commander Al Manganello, Sr., and Commander Dave Conners, a few years ago when the Legion Post 110 was selling their building and land. An important part of the sale was to fulfill the need for the Legion members to have a place to gather and Lane and Coolbrith provided the perfect fit. Aura at Medfield was opened in September 2022. The Legion members have greatly enjoyed the use of the Beckwith Function Room as it is a spacious and bright function room, made available to Aura at Medfield residents to gather as well as the Beckwith Post 110 Legion groups to meet.

More recently, Lane and Coolbrith had an impressive brass plaque installed on the wall of this function room, listing the 39 Medfield Gold Star Veterans spanning 200 plus years from the Revolutionary War through the Vietnam War.

A Gold Star family is one that has experienced a loss of a loved one, an immediate family member, who died as the result of active-duty military service.

The May 21, 2024 date was chosen to have an unveiling of the plaque and Gold Star families were invited to honor these heroes.

Of the 39 Veterans named on the plaque, three Gold Star families were represented. They are the families of:

• Ocran Knehr - WWII
• Richard Werner - WWII
• Stephen Hinkley – Vietnam War

In addition to the families, all 3 members of the Medfield Select Board attended and everyone was invited to enjoy a delicious buffet dinner catered by Basil Restaurant, followed by the unveiling ceremony.

Beckwith Post 110 Commander Bob Tannler thanked everyone for attending and showed his appreciation to both Lane and Coolbrith for their hospitality and kind-heartedness toward Beckwith Post 110 members. The owners then said a few words before the unveiling and expressed their commitment to the Legion and their appreciation toward all veterans.

The families of these brave souls were deeply moved by this beautiful plaque honoring their family members.