BRODEUR: Continuing our Commitment to Veterans

The following is a statement from Paul Brodeur, a candidate for the Mayor of Melrose:

As a community, Melrose always comes together for each other. Whether it is for our seniors or our students, we are there to support them, and that is no different for our veterans. You see it at our school ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. You see it during the Veterans in the Classroom program, the annual Operation trips and through the continuing efforts of the Melrose Veterans Memory Project. You see it in our monuments, our cemetery, and at the Memorial Day parade. And you see it every day in the dedicated work of our Veteran Services Officer and the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board. There is no question that the people of Melrose support our service members both during and after their tenure in the Armed Services. It is a commitment that I have always taken seriously and made a priority.

As your State Representative, I have worked to ensure our veterans receive the benefits they have earned and the respect they deserve. Along with supporting both the HOME Act and the BRAVE Act, I have sponsored legislation to direct a commission to look at how we can modernize our approach to helping people cope with post-traumatic stress. I have also co-sponsored legislation to increase the benefit for families of deceased members of the United States armed forces, have collaborated with the Veterans Advisory Board and Senator Jason Lewis on a series of bills to address issues for reservists, and ensured benefits for veterans and their families under the state’s new paid Family and Medical Leave law.

As Mayor, I will continue that commitment and work with the Veterans Advisory Board and our local veterans’ organizations to build upon the great work they are already doing. Part of that commitment to our veterans is helping these brave men and women find employment after they have left service. Repeating an event I helped bring to Melrose as State Representative, I will organize a local job fair specifically for our veterans, so that they are able to find a career with a company who values and respects their service and experience. I will also work with our veterans’ organizations at both the state and local level to ensure that Melrose veterans are aware of and have access to information on the benefits and services available to them.

Also, as part of my efforts to further engage city hall in honoring and supporting the men and women who have served our state and nation, I will work with the Veterans Advisory Board to develop a dedicated source of funding to maintain and expand our veterans’ monuments. These monuments serve as a reminder to all of us that freedom isn’t free and our veterans are the people who have stood up to protect that freedom, many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice. It is our duty to honor that commitment and sacrifice.

While these may be small steps forward, they are important steps to reinforce Melrose’s commitment to our veterans and to ensure these men and women know that our city is grateful for their service and are here to support them and their families. As your Mayor, I want to make sure that veterans know they matter to Melrose.