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The Lieutenant Manson H. Carter Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2498 in Needham held its Annual Banquet at the Post’s facility on Junction Street Thursday, June 1.
The banquet is held each year to honor the past commanders of the Post, install new officers for the year, and award prizes to the Needham students who entered and won the VFW Voice of Democracy and Patriots Pen Essay contests last fall.
A roast beef dinner was served to the 85 attendees by Lt. Jon Kramer of the Needham Police Honor Guard and his family. After dinner, the awards for Voice of Democracy and Patriots Pen Essay Contests were presented.
Needham High School students Zachary Richmond, LeeAnn Demirjian and Daniel Richmond were given cash awards for their essays. Zachary and LeeAnn could not attend due to the Needham High School senior prom. LeeAnn’s brother, Michael, an active duty Marine, accepted for her, and Daniel Richmond accepted for his brother.
Senator Mike Rush and Representative Denise Garlick presented the essay winners with the proclamations signed by them and Senator Richard Ross, who could not attend. Marianne Cooley, Chair of the Needham Board of Selectmen, assisted in the presentations.
The Patriots Pen award winners were Julie Hollfelder from Pollard Middle School, and Marisa Maio, from the High Rock School. Both were given cash awards as well as State House proclamations.
The evening concluded with the installation of the VFW Post new officers for 2017-2018. Raymond C. O’Brien, World War II Navy Veteran and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Soldiers Home in Chelsea, Massachusetts, presided.
New officers for the year are:
Robert Meltzer, US Air Force, Iraq War Senior Vice Commander: Michael Raymond US Army Desert Storm Junior Vice Commander: Ron McNeil, Marine Corps, Iraq Quartermaster: Jeffrey Weller, US Army Vietnam Chaplain: Thomas Keating, US Army Vietnam Trustee: Gene Charney US Army Vietnam Judge Advocate: David Josselyn, US Army Vietnam Surgeon: Edward Cahalane, US Air Force Cold War Adjutant: Ted Prorok, US Army Vietnam Service Officer: Jack Soraghan, US Army Vietnam
