Dedham Focuses On Veterans Services As Holiday Nears

DEDHAM, MA - Joe Hamilton, Dedham's veterans service officer, updated the Dedham Select Board at last night's meeting about activities to honor those who have served as well as the challenges their community faces.

The town will hold a breakfast to honor veterans on Wednesday, November 10 from 10 a.m. to noon at the U.S.S. Jacob Jones VFW Post 2017 at 84 Eastern Ave. The event will include guest speakers and live entertainment, including singer Tom Quigley. Confirmed dignitaries include Sen. Mike Rush and Rep. Paul McMurtry. Congressman Stephen Lynch is also expected to attend.

"On November 11, we'll be doing a very informal 'Thank a Veteran' luncheon at the American Legion," Hamilton said, which is being cosponsored by the Dedham Council on Aging. "This luncheon will be open to the public, so families and anyone can come. It's all volunteers cooking. It's important to see a veteran and thank a veteran."

He anticipates a turnout of more than 100 people.

The needs of veterans have been exacerbated by the pandemic, he noted.

"Right now, we have 319 total awards given out," Hamilton explained, including pensions for disability, death, and survivors' dependency and indemnity compensation, or DIC, placing Dedham "fairly high amongst the state" at $485,000 from the Veterans Administration.

"We have seen a lot more veterans coming into the office, which is great," he noted. "With hard times in the pandemic, some of the veterans are reaching out to see what kind of benefits they do have."

Hamilton envisioned the Council on Aging working in tandem with his department, particularly to see if the town would support occasional van rides to the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne for those who lack transportation there to honor their loved ones.

He said he wanted to assess the level of interest and see if the town would be agreeable to a proposal.

"It could be a monthly thing," Hamilton explained. "Or it could be every few months depending on interest. We can actually use the small bus we have here and make that trip."

There have also been preliminary conversations about the possibility of combining the VFW and American Legion posts, both located on Eastern Avenue.

"What's not dead in the water as long as I'm sitting in this seat is a combined building in the town of Dedham for a combined veterans council," he said. "We had pretty extensive talks for the first time, I think, in the history of the 100 years of the two posts of the hard times that we're all facing as veterans.

He described both facilities as "failing completely" at a time when "membership is not growing whatsoever."

Potentially, one of the properties could be sold, he said, to create a new building to house the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the AMVETS, the American Legion and the two auxiliary organizations from the posts.

"It's a long road ahead of us," Hamilton explained. "But it would behoove all us veterans to get ahead of it before it's too late and our hand is played for us."

Select Board member Jim MacDonald commended Hamilton for his services to the town's veterans.

"There are a lot of people out there who are struggling," he said. "They're very proud, and we know that it's difficult sometimes for people to ask for help. But seeing a friendly face that you have and the way that you are approaching each and every individual is really appreciated."

Select Board member Dennis Teehan echoed this sentiment, noting that helping veterans navigate the system to obtain the benefits they deserve is critical.

Chair Dimitria Sullivan asked what outreach efforts could be made to include younger veterans.

Hamilton said attracting younger veterans is a challenge because of the stereotype of veterans being older. One asset he has is his ability to connect with this generation, including the years he devoted to coaching youth baseball and football where he initially met those who have gone on to serve their country.

He described the VFW and the American Legion posts as "pillars in the community" that hold numerous events and fundraisers.

"We just had a 20-year war, and you think there would be tons of young veterans," Hamilton continued. "I know they're out there. But trying to get them out there is a difficult thing."