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Area towns and cities held Veterans Day observances on Friday.
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Pittsfield, Williamstown, North Adams Mark Veterans Day

By Andy McKeever & Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Richard Kurek is presented the Veterans Coalition Veteran of the Year award in Pittsfield.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Veteran Service Officer James Clark has always felt that Veterans Day got the "short end of the stick" when it comes to holidays.

Most people do not get the day off from work like they do on the Fourth of July. And, Memorial Day is seen as the holiday to honor those who died in the armed forces. But, Clark says Veterans Day is just as important.

"It is a day we recognize not just those who have given it all in war but to all those who have worn the uniform of service. This day above all is a day to celebrate the choice one makes to serve their country," Clark said, as the keynote speaker at the annual Veterans Day ceremony.

Clark called on residents to help those who are currently in the service and their families. That includes supporting veterans organizations, non-profits who help veterans, or outreach programs and the VA.

"There are dozens of ways to show your support to our nation's heroes and their family members left behind — mowing a lawn, raking some leaves, shoveling a sidewalk, and other great acts of kindness to reduce the burden of the separation," Clark said, adding that for those who are currently away in the military it would give them peace of mind knowing their families have support at home.

He also says military service should be promoted amount the young, who can see it as a "viable and valuable" career opportunity. He said around 1 percent of Americans go into service and are owed so much by so many people.

"We need to do a better job of letting our younger generation know that the military is a viable and valuable career option with unlimited opportunities. I am certainly living proof of that," Clark said.

As for the veterans, Clark says those who have served or are serving should share their stories.

"The more we talk about what we did and the impact military service has on our lives, the better we are able to hold up as an example of excellence," Clark said.

Veterans Day was first started in 1919 to honor the end of World War 1. In the 1950s, it was expanded to honor all of those who wore an armed forces uniform. The day is honored with parades and ceremonies across the country.

"We carry them in our hearts while they are protecting our national security, whether they are here at home, far away in a foreign land, or buried in their graves," said Mayor Linda Tyer.

Tyer took the occasion to remind the 100 or so in attendance of the many wars this country has fought throughout its history. Those who served did their parts in every generation to pass on a free America to the next, she said.

"War is endless. The nation owes more than simple gratitude to its veterans, whose service to this nation spans every decade, every year, and every day our out country's existence," Tyer said.

Friday's ceremony began with a parade from City Hall to the War Memorial on South Street. Service grounds, high school bands, Soldier On, the Here at Home Committee, and elected officials — including the outgoing state Sen. Benjamin Downing who was recognized by both Clark and Tyer for his support for veterans — all joined in the procession.

At the memorial, Rabbi David Weiner led the invocation, the Pittsfield High School band played a medley of patriotic songs, and Richard Kurek was presented the Veterans Coalition Veteran of the Year award.

Kurek joined the U.S. Army in 1963 and was an aircraft repairman. He was sent to Vietnam to maintain and fix aircrafts there. He returned to the United States and taught aircraft maintenance and was an inspector. In 1966, he left the Army.

A decade later he joined the Air Force Reserve and became an air cargo specialist. He spent 18 years doing several tours of duty. He retired in 1994 with 21 years of service.

Since then, he has remained active. He currently sits on the Veterans of Foreign Wars Board of Directors, he is in charge of making funeral arrangements for veterans, he marches in all of the parades, he was the treasurer of the committee formed to restore the Civil War Memorial in Park Square, he is the videographer of the Veterans Coalition events, he is the grave registration officer, he works on the committee placing flags on the graves of all veterans, and he serves many roles in organizing Honor Flights, which take veterans to Washington D.C. to see the memorials.

Wreaths were laid on the memorial recognizing the veterans of each war.
 


See more photos from Williamstown's ceremony here.

Williamstown American Legion Post 152 Commander Ron James led the Williamstown ceremony at Field Park at 11:11 a.m., recognizing the time and date of the signing of the armistice 98 years ago that ended World War I.


"We are here at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month to mark when the armistice was signed," James said. "We are here today to honor."

James said American Legion members visited the elementary school on the 10th for a special presentation.

"We were really honored to have the children honor the veterans and present mementos and gifts but the most important thing they showed us was Americanism," James said. "They are getting an education on what is going on and that is important. It just as important to remember as it is to teach."

After the ceremony, the American Legion convoy visited Westlawn Cemetery, Eastlawn Cemetery, and Southlawn Cemetery.

In North Adams, retired Army Col. Michael Hynes struck a similar theme as Clark's. The 1977 Drury High School graduate and 31-year Army veteran applauded the service of his brothers and sisters in arms, past and present, but pointed to the many problems facing veterans as they try to transition to civilian life.

The nation's volunteer military members choose to "serve a cause greater than themselves," he said. The most recent wars have required multiple tours, affecting not only service members but their families. "Our service members have displayed mental and physical toughness, but most importantly courage under fire."

Northern Berkshire has seen its own sacrifices, Peter W. Foote, lost in Vietnam, and Michael R. Demarsico II, killed in Afghanistan.

"Our service members have displayed mental and physical toughness, but most importantly courage under fire," he said. "They have transformed our military into the most versatile, agile and rapidly deployable and sustainable strategic force the world has ever known.  I am so proud to be part of the Department of Defense every day ... but especially today, I am proud to serve with these great men and women, the next greatest generation."

They fight for our security in an insecure world, Hynes said, and democracy depends on their willingness to step forward and serve.


See more photos from North Adams' ceremony here.

Yet veteran unemployment is nearly twice the national average, and young veterans who joined the services out of high school find themselves at a disadvantage competing for civilian jobs once their tours are done.  

"Vets often don't have easily translatable civilian skills nor do they have the network of business and social contacts that other young people have," said Hynes, who still works at the Pentagon. "Unless they work for a company that places a priority on hiring veterans, they have a tough job competing against other job seekers."

Returning service members can also face challenges caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, brain trauma, drug dependence and other issues. Hynes said one in every three Iraq and Afghanistan veteran is dealing with these combat traumas.

"Our troops are not receiving proper medical and psychological evaluations. It is up to them to seek the help they need," he said. "This help is often not easy to find or access. Why is there a backlog of millions of claims at the veterans administration?"

The application process is complicated and difficult to maneuver, even for Hynes who has access to the VA's premier health institutions in the Washington area. And a third of all homeless are veterans, "veterans with distinguished, even heroic military records are ending up living on the streets."

A handful of special veterans courts is focusing on rehabilitation and treatment rather than jail time for veterans who run afoul of the law because of PTSD and drug dependence.

"I say we owe our veterans more than our silence, our memories and our thanks," he said. "So today is both a day of celebration and a day of reflection ... we need to help solve the issues of our brothers and sisters are facing every day. We are free because of their bravery."

Friday's ceremony, held at the Veterans Memorial, followed a short parade down Main Street. The wind whipped the service flags above the memorial wall as Louis Floriani of AmVets, Wiliam Schrade of the American Legion Post 125 and Mayor Richard Alcombright placed the wreath. This year's master of ceremonies was Joseph Zustra of VFW Post 996, who with his three children led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Alcombright told how he'd been asked to give a citation to a man he'd known for at least 30 years as a 90th birthday tribute.

What he learned was that George Galli had been a Marine in World War II with a tour that put him at some of the toughest fights in the Pacific — Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. He's also served in Occupied Japan and later with the Army in Korea, earning a Bronze Star for valor, and spent another 10 years in the National Guard.
 
"He is yet another powerful story of the patriot, the warrior, the braveheart, the soldier, and like so many of our veterans before him and after him, and those among us today, who have quietly, quietly served with such humility and such dignity."

Staff writer Jack Guerino contributed to this report.


Tags: holiday event,   parade,   veterans,   veterans day,   

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North Adams Regional Reopens With Ribbon-Cutting Celebration

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

BHS President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz welcomes the gathering to the celebration of the hospital's reopening 10 years to the day it closed. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The joyful celebration on Thursday at North Adams Regional Hospital was a far cry from the scene 10 years ago when protests and tears marked the facility's closing
 
Hospital officials, local leaders, medical staff, residents and elected officials gathered under a tent on the campus to mark the efforts over the past decade to restore NARH and cut the ribbon officially reopening the 136-year-old medical center. 
 
"This hospital under previous ownership closed its doors. It was a day that was full of tears, anger and fear in the Northern Berkshire community about where and how residents would be able to receive what should be a fundamental right for everyone — access to health care," said Darlene Rodowicz, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. 
 
"Today the historic opportunity to enhance the health and wellness of Northern Berkshire community is here. And we've been waiting for this moment for 10 years. It is the key to keeping in line with our strategic plan which is to increase access and support coordinated county wide system of care." 
 
Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, under the BHS umbrella, purchased the campus and affiliated systems when Northern Berkshire Healthcare declared bankruptcy and closed on March 28, 2014. NBH had been beset by falling admissions, reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments, and investments that had gone sour leaving it more than $30 million in debt. 
 
BMC was able to reopen the ER as an emergency satellite facility and slowly restored and enhanced medical services including outpatient surgery, imaging, dialysis, pharmacy and physician services. 
 
But it would take a slight tweak in the U.S. Health and Human Services' regulations — thank to U.S. Rep. Richie Neal — to bring back inpatient beds and resurrect North Adams Regional Hospital 
 
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