Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
| By Paula Canning Staff Writer HOLYOKE A Purple Heart medal was found last Wednesday in an old house undergoing renovations and a local fireman and the citys Veterans Services Office are looking to get that medal to the family of its rightful owner. The medal, which bears the name of World War II veteran James E. Dowd, was discovered by Holyoke Fireman Joe Snyder in a house in Holyoke that he is currently renovating, according to Veterans Commissioner Kristian Kos-Lecca. Snyder turned the medal over to the Veterans Service Office in the hope that the Office could put the medal in the hands of Dowds family, according to Kos-Lecca. This medal is part of someones family history and wed like to have that family contact us, she said. She said that upon receiving the medal, she made several unsuccessful phone calls to find a living family member, and that she is currently researching Dowd through channels with the federal government. The Office received a message from one woman who might have had information, but as of last Friday, Kos-Lecca said she had been unable to reach the caller. Kos-Lecca said that Dowd, who is thought to have been killed during World War II, must have been awarded the Purple Heart medal for being wounded in an act of supreme bravery. You dont get a Purple Heart medal for just anything, she said. This is pretty special. If the Office is not able to locate a family member, Kos-Lecca said the plan is to have the medal framed and hung in the flag room. We would hope to do it even if we find the family, with their permission, she said. Thats what that room is there for to recognize the veterans and what they did for us. Kos-Lecca is hoping that the framed medal will be accompanied by information about Dowd. There is a real desire to get some history on this man, she said. It would be wonderful to know who this man is. Although the other historic items have been turned into the Offices, such as grave markers, Kos-Lecca said that the Office has never had anything so outstanding come to the Office. Thats why its so important that we find this family, she said,. She said she is pretty sure that Dowd must be from Holyoke, considering the medal was found in a Holyoke Home. She added that she believes that Dowds father, Thomas Dowd, is deceased. According to Kos-Lecca, Snyders decision to turn over the medal was an act that came as no surprise. She explained that the Holyoke Fire Department maintain close ties with the Veterans Services Offices, and that Snyder is one of the movers and shakers to get every one else going. She said that members of the Fire Department do just about anything the veterans ever ask them for. For example, she said that, each year on Veterans Day, the citys fireman use their ladder truck to hang a huge flag over the main entrance to the War Memorial Building . Theyre a very special bunch of guys, and we have a place in our heart for all of them, Kos-Lecca said. If you have any information about the family of James Dowd, please call the Veterans Services Office at (413) 322-5630. |