Lanesborough To Dedicate Bridge To Vietnam Hero

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Because only kin can receive copies of a soldier's medals, McKnight worked with Noonan's son across the country to get the replicas for Town Hall.
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom McKnight remembers when his best friend went to Vietnam and became a highly decorated soldier but he fears others will forget.

So, McKnight has spent the last three years trying to find a way to honor Gregory A. Noonan. 

His efforts are culminating in the new Miner Road Bridge being named in Noonan's honor and with copies of Noonan's medals to be displayed in Town Hall.

"He was my best friend in Lanesborough. We grew up together. We played sports together," McKnight said Monday after receiving the Board of Selectmen's approval to dedicate the bridge. "Nobody even knows that he is a town hero."

Noonan was drafted in 1968 and sent to Vietnam as a sergeant with the 9th Infantry Division. He was under heavy fire in three battles and was twice wounded — the most serious was being shot in the leg in the Mekong Delta. He earned three Combat Infantryman Badges, three Air Medals, two Purple Hearts, and a Vietnam Service Medal and three Bronze Stars for heroism — among others. He returned home in 1969.

"He wasn't just an average guy in the war. He was a guy you wanted on your side," McKnight said.

However, McKnight fears that the 1965 Mount Greylock Regional High School graduate will fade from memory so for the last three years he has been working toward creating some type of memorial. McKnight tracked down Noonan's son to get copies of the medals and worked with town officials to have a spot in town hall where they can be displayed.

Now that the Miner Road bridge is nearing a reconstruction, McKnight asked to rename it in honor of Noonan and will purchase a dedication plaque.

"I would like him to be remembered for his heroism and valor," McKnight said. "This town needs its heroes."

The Board of Selectmen approved renaming the bridge the Gregory A. Noonan Memorial Bridge and said they would like to hold a dedication ceremony.

Tags: bridge,   dedication,   veterans,   veterans memorial,   Vietnam,   

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Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation Scholarships

LUDLOW, Mass. — For the third year, Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation (BWPCC) will award scholarships to students from Lanesborough and Hancock. 
 
The scholarship is open to seniors at Mount Greylock Regional High School and Charles H. McCann Technical School. BWPCC will select two students from the class of 2024 to receive $1,000 scholarships.
 
The scholarships will be awarded to qualifying seniors who are planning to attend either a two- or four-year college or trade school program. Seniors must be from either Hancock or Lanesborough to be considered for the scholarship. Special consideration will be given to students with financial need, but all students are encouraged to apply.
 
The BWPCC owns and operates the Berkshire Wind Power Project, a 12 turbine, 19.6-megawatt wind farm located on Brodie Mountain in Hancock and Lanesborough. The non-profit BWPCC consists of 16 municipal utilities located in Ashburnham, Boylston, Chicopee, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Russell, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield, and West Boylston, and their joint action agency, the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC). 
 
To be considered, students must submit all required documents including a letter of recommendation from their school counselor and a letter detailing their educational and professional goals. Application and submission details will be shared with students via their school counselors. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 19.
 
 MMWEC is a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created by an Act of the General Court in 1975 and authorized to issue tax-exempt debt to finance a wide range of energy facilities.  MMWEC provides a variety of power supply, financial, risk management and other services to the state's consumer-owned, municipal utilities. 
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