Pittsfield, North Adams Parades, Ceremonies Mark Veterans Day
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Both Berkshire cities marked Veterans Day on Thursday with a return of parades and formal ceremony.
Last year's events had been restricted to small, social distant gatherings because of the pandemic.
That wasn't the case this year as more than 300 people attended annual parade in Pittsfield, with a procession that marched from City Hall to the Veterans Memorial Park on South Street for the ceremony.
Air Force veteran Robert "Bobby" Dassat was honored as the Berkshire Veterans Coalition 2021 Veteran of the Year.
Dassat enlisted in 1964 after a few years working for General Electric. One year later, with completed training as a jet engine mechanic, he sustained serious injuries and had to have his left hand amputated after a tire exploded off a helicopter.
He was just 22 years old at the time.
"You can all imagine what a 22-year-old kid goes through when a doctor comes up to you and says they had to take your left hand, I sat there in a bed and just thought over what my life was going to be," he said, adding that he spent one year recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
"After one year in the hospital, the doctors just kept talking to me over and over as to what I was going to do, and at that time, there was a lot of fellow veterans coming back from Vietnam, because that was the year I was in in the hospital, and they told me it was totally up to me to overcome my disability if I wanted to lead a pure life again."
Dassat did not let his handicap slow him down and devoted himself to veterans' causes while resuming his work at GE. He has served as the Dalton American Legion Post 155 commander for 14 years, formed the Sons of the Legion organization, and has been a District 1 sergeant at arms for more than 20 years and a member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) for over 50.
He is also the Memorial Day chairman for Dalton and organizes the town parade. Dassat oversees the decoration of more than 1,000 veterans graves in the town and maintains the flags on them.
"I have not let my handicap slow me down and probably do more today than I ever thought was possible," he said. "As my fellow Legionnaires can attest, my handicap never hinders me from doing anything and I push myself to do that because I am who I am."
Dassat's father Rudy Dassat was honored as the 2003 Veteran of the Year. The two will share space on the Veteran of the Year memorial benches.
"I have been told, and it would be nice to really know if it's true, that this is the first father and son that was then placed on the benches," he said.
"I am truly honored and this is why I work so hard at what I do, to be honored, I joined great ones before me, this is truly a great feeling."
Lenwood "Woody" Vaspra of Cheshire was the keynote speaker. Vaspra is a Hawaiian native who was drafted into the military in 1967 and decided to join the Air Force.
He became a B-52 pilot and flew 255 combat missions during three tours of duty in Vietnam.
Vaspra retired from the Air Force Reserve with 25 years of service behind him and, in 2018, he and his wife wound up making a home in Berkshire County.
When he and his comrades returned home from Vietnam, he said, there were no tributes, recognition speeches, or even handshakes for soldiers.
"It was an obscure re-entry into society. Many of the veterans came back physically, mentally emotionally or spiritually broken, or a combination thereof," Vaspra said.
"Some of them came back as [prisoners of war], suffered many indignities while in captivity, it was not a pleasant return for many of us who served in Vietnam, however, I was one of the lucky ones. I was able to re-enter society, go back to school, find a job and raise a family, but the Vietnam experience never went away."
He spoke to the many veterans who were not able to re-enter society as easily and felt outcast, turned to substances, or died by suicide.
"The experience of battle does not go away, you just learn how to live with it," he said.
He also honored fellow Cheshire resident Narcheeso "Cheeso" Massaconi, who was featured in iBerkshire's "Veteran Spotlight" series.
Massaconi was drafted in 1942 at the age of 18. His assignments included Pearl Harbor, and the Battles of Saipan and Iwo Jima that he described as "Hell on Earth."
The Pittsfield High School band played patriotic music throughout the ceremony as well as the taps. The "Star-Spangled Banner" was sung by Curtis D. Janey.
Williamstown's American Legion Post 152 held ceremonies at each of the town's cemeteries, culminating at East Lawn, where the Legionnaires also held a retirement ceremony for American flags that they collected from the community.
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