On Saturday, April 4, hundreds turned out for the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial that was erected on the grounds of Memorial Hall on Green Street. The Memorial was a labor of love conceived by the members of Abraham Lincoln Post 11,Grand Army of the Republic dedicated to the six Charlestown men who lost their lives in Vietnam: Sp. 4 Lawrence Borden, U.S. Army, KIA Sept. 13, 1996; Lcpl. Edward Johnson, U.S.M.C., KIA Aug. 27, 1967; Sp. 4 William McNamara, U.S. Army, KIA March 7, 1969; Lcpl. David Pugh, U.S.M.C., KIA March 15, 1969; 2 Lt. Michael Quinn, U.S.M.C., KIA Aug. 29, 1969; and Capt. Francis Powers, U.S. Army, KIA Oct. 12, 1970.
The Chelsea Soldiers Home Honor Guard presented the colors and members of The Sons of the Union veterans of the Civil War and the Charlestown Militia were also on hand dressed in period uniforms. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited and an invocation was given by Father Daniel J. Mahoney, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church.
Opening remarks were given by Vietnam Memorial Committee Chairman Joseph Zuffante who said that the memorial was, “One of the most fulfilling things that I’ve ever been involved with.” Zuffante said that the memorial is a symbol of the fact that Charlestown never forgets.
Remarks were then given by Sen. Anthony Galluccio, Congressman Michael Capuano, Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty and City Councillor Sal LaMattina.
Florence Johnson, mother of Lcpl. Edward Johnson, U.S.M.C. and Vietnam Memorial Committee member spoke on the importance of remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country and the hope of someday finding a world at peace.
The keynote address was given by Charlestown native Lt. Col. John Collier U.S. Army, who spoke the names and dates of death of the fallen Charlestown men memorialized.
Taps was then played by members of the Bunker Hill Pipe Band.

News over the weekend that the Boston Globe may be going out of business because it cannot sustain itself was like a dagger in the heart to those who love the Globe, and the reason for jubilation among those whose lives have been altered by the Globe’s arrogance.
Earlier this week reports appeared indicating a chaotic, frantic time for the Globe’s union members and union chiefs, who are trying to come to terms with negotiations which are more like gun to the head demands with no guarantees of success.
Wednesday Globe officials announced news of the Globe raising the price of the daily edition to $1.50 and the Sunday edition to $3.50 on May 1.
If you are over 40, and enjoy reading the morning newspaper with a hot coffee to get your day going … well, the choice of your daily read may be down to one by May.
If you don’t read the morning newspaper – and according to Rupert Murdock, the world’s leading newspaper and communications tycoon – people under 40 not only don’t read the newspaper, and they don’t advertise in newspapers, either - then you don’t care much anyway whether or not the Globe survives or fails.
In fact, here in Charlestown, more people read the Herald every morning than the Globe.
The younger set, and many of us nearing a more mature time in our lives, have come to rely on instantaneous news 24/7 that changes by the minute on the Internet. There is really nothing quite like it.
However, spreading out the newspaper and reading news stories about happenings of all kinds from all over the world and the nation, taking a sip of coffee, and then returning to the story, well, without the Globe in the morning, there will be a sizable hole to fill.
Will the Globe continue printing?
Those of us in the newspaper business today understand that if newspapers can’t remain profitable, then they can’t survive.
The Globe lost $85 million last year, as reported. It is set to lose $50 million this year.
Such losses, obviously, are unsustainable.
News over the weekend in both the Herald and the Globe that the Globe is seeking $20 million in savings from a variety of unions and the Newspaper Guild is but the tip of the iceberg.
Globe management’s negotiations with the unions will go like this: “We need to amputate both your arms today in order to get to six months from now. Six months from now. we’ll need to amputate both your legs – and the cost savings may not allow us to survive.”
Indeed.
When the New York Times bought the Globe for $1.1 billion in 1993, the Internet was rising, but not many executives in the newspaper industry could foresee what was going to happen.
It is very hard to know what awaits us until it happens, and this is what has happened in the newspaper industry.
When the New York Times bought the Globe, the Globe should have shuttered all its national and international operations, choosing instead to rely on the news gathering expertise of the New York Times. Great savings would have been accomplished.
In addition, efforts at that time should have been made to pare down the bloated editorial staff, and to have the unions deal realistically with lifetime guarantees, health insurance and pension issues.
Now, it is too late. The demise of the Globe is nearly upon us. If it doesn’t happen in 30 days then it is likely to occur six months or a year after that.
Those of us in the newspaper industry don’t laugh at the Globe’s problems.
We lament the coming loss of a great daily newspaper.
After all, ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.

CAPTION: Sen. Anthony Galluccio presents a citation to Maureen McGoldrick from Edwards Middle School.

The Edwards Middle School in Charlestown was recognized by members of the legislature on Thursday, April 2, for its participation in an innovative state-sponsored grant program aimed at helping traumatized children learn. Legislators convened at the State House to honor the 30 schools and districts receiving funding this year through the Safe and Supportive Learning Environments program.
State Senator Anthony Gallucio and State Representative Eugene O’Flaherty issued citations to the school honoring it for its groundbreaking work.
“In order for all students to be successful, it is necessary to address trauma as a barrier to learning,” said Cambridge Representative Alice Wolf, who hosted the event. Wolf was the lead sponsor of the legislation that created the grant program in 2004. Grantees receive $25,000 to develop approaches that address the educational and psycho-social needs of children suffering from the traumatic effects of exposure to violence and other adverse childhood experiences. Schools also have the opportunity to re-apply for additional funding in each of the four subsequent years, with grants to a particular district decreasing by $5,000 each year.
Wolf’s sentiments were echoed by John Bynoe, Associate Commissioner at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, who described DESE’s efforts to spread the approaches being pioneered by grantee school districts across the state through annual conferences and technical assistance.
The Massachusetts effort to create trauma-sensitive learning environments is also gaining increasing national attention. Bynoe described how districts as far away as Washington State and California are now working to replicate the innovations of Massachusetts schools in this area. Bynoe concluded his remarks by asking grant recipients to stand up and be recognized. “DESE is truly proud of your work,” he told them.
Betsy McAlister Groves, noted trauma expert and Director of the Child Witness to Violence Project at Boston Medical Center, delivered a keynote address in which she spoke about the significant impact that trauma from exposure to violence can have on students’ achievement in school. She stated, “Schools can make an enormous difference in the lives of children traumatized by exposure to violence. And when schools recognize and address the role trauma may be playing in learning and behavior, they really change lives. We are seeing lives changed every day in the Safe and Supportive Learning Environments grantee schools.” Groves also serves as a member of
One of the educators present in the room to receive praise was Dr. Theresa Kane, Superintendent of Ludlow Public Schools. Ludlow used its funding to create a trauma-sensitive learning environment in its East Street Elementary School. Seeking to expand on its initial successes, Ludlow then parlayed its Massachusetts grant into a $338,000 federal grant, which will allow it to spread trauma-sensitive approaches to five additional schools in the district.
In addressing the crowd of 200 gathered at the State House, Kane emphasized that making a learning environment trauma-sensitive requires a solid infrastructure at each school so that educators, mental health professionals, and outside agencies can work together to solve the problems that traumatized children might be experiencing in the classroom.
Kane was joined by fellow educators Dr. Adam Wolf, Assistant Principal of Atlantic Middle School in Quincy, and Kathleen Moran, Principal of the Huntington Elementary School in Brockton, both also grant recipients. Wolf described how professional development on trauma’s impact on learning has affected a paradigm shift in the way teachers in his school relate to students. He credits this shift as the major factor underlying an astounding reduction in out-of-school suspensions. Moran discussed her school’s efforts to implement programs that engage students’ families and help improve school-home communication. Her grant is part of a citywide effort by the Brockton Public Schools to strengthen linkages between schools and community agencies.
The Edwards estimates that 80 percent of its 450 sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students are impacted by regular exposure to violence, both in the home and in the community. Under the SSLE grant program, Edwards Middle School has reviewed its policies and protocols through a trauma lens and has intensified its efforts to support students with a history of trauma, including outreach and translation services to engage families. The grant has allowed the school to create therapeutic groups for high-risk children, which are designed to enhance communication and relationship skills, and promote the development of self-regulation and coping skills. In addition, the school has launched a pilot program focused on school safety and anti-bullying. The school partners with the Massachusetts General Hospital Health Care Center in Charlestown, the South End Health Center, the R.F. Kennedy Foundation, and Arbor Counseling.
The legislative briefing was co-sponsored by Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Education Sen. Robert O’Leary and Rep. Martha M. Walz, Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Children and Families Sen. Gale D. Candaras and Rep. Kay Khan, Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Sen. Jennifer Flanagan and Rep. Liz Malia, and Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs Rep. Alice K. Wolf.

Photo caption: Sen. Anthony Galluccio presents a citation to Maureen McGoldrick from Edwards Middle School.

The Tall Ships debate

The mayor is absolutely correct in refusing to give the city’s sanction to participation in the Tall Ships extravaganza scheduled for this coming summer.
For the city of Boston to spend $2 million for security and public safety staffing in order to hold the event would be folly when the city can barely pay its bills, employees are being laid off and public safety employees are about to be cut back drastically.
The event’s organizers should have known better than to push the mayor’s back to the wall.
Instead, they are attempting to have their party on the back of Boston’s taxpayers and the mayor has said absolutely no under any circumstances.
What he wants, what we all want, is for the event to pay for itself.
The event’s organizers and sponsors must provide the money to the city in the amount the city must spend for security and public safety.
We laud the mayor’s position.
This is the right decision at the right time.
We want the Tall Ships here.
It would be good for business.
It can be a very special time – and profitable for all.
But unless the organizers pay the tab for the security, forget about it.
Shame n the event planners for not being in synchronicity with the city.

Easter

The resurrection and the spring arrive together.
The rebirth of life all around explodes.
Families gather round the dinner table,
And hope is always renewed.