Overview
- At the State House Hall of Flags, officials presented the Captain Thomas Hudner Jr. Valor Award to Marine veteran and Boston police officer Andrew Biggio.
- Soldier On, a Pittsfield nonprofit focused on ending veteran homelessness, received the Captain Thomas Kelley Community Engagement Award for decades of support across Massachusetts.
- Governor Maura Healey said her administration will ensure veterans receive services and support through housing, employment, and health care.
- Biggio founded Boston’s Wounded Vet Run & Ride and authored “The Rifle,” a collection of stories from World War II veterans.
- The awards honor Medal of Honor recipients Thomas Hudner and Thomas Kelley, whose heroism in Korea and Vietnam is commemorated by Navy destroyers bearing their names, as veterans and Gold Star families joined statewide observances.