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Peter Maybay, left, and Jeanne Wickson, relatives of Michael Blanchette, listen to presentations made during the second annual Medal of Liberty/Medal of Fidelity ceremony on Nov. 9 at the Marlborough Senior Center. Michael Blanchette was killed in Vietnam in 1970; his portrait is on the table.
On Nov. 9, the city held the second annual Medal of Liberty/Medal of Fidelity for those who gave their lives in service to their country.
Episode 2696 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how the good people of Marlborough, Massachusetts are honoring the memory of their fallen veterans. The featured story comes from the Fifty Plus Advocate and was titled: Marlborough honors fallen veterans with Medal of Liberty. It was submitted by contributing writer Maureen Sullivan.
It was reported in Sullivan’s story that on Nov. 9, 2023 at the Marlborough Senior Center, relatives of those who sacrificed their lives while in service to their country were awarded the Massachusetts Medal of Liberty.
The Massachusetts Medal of Liberty is open to all branches of service and is awarded in the name of the Governor of Massachusetts as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth to any Massachusetts serviceman or woman killed in action or who died as a result of wounds received in action.
The Massachusetts Medal of Fidelity – presented to the next of kin of those who died as a result of illness or disease in connection with their service – was given in honor of William Borowski at the event.
In accordance with Massachusetts General Law, a Massachusetts Medal of Fidelity to be presented to the Next of Kin of service members or veterans from the Commonwealth who died as the result of a medical condition caused by combat action.
Some Examples of Eligibility for the Medal of Fidelity are deaths caused by:
- Agent Orange
- Blue Water Exposure
- Burn Pit Exposure
- Exposure to any Chemical, Biological, Radiological Agent or Pollutant
- Oil Fire Exposure
- 9/11 Ground Zero Recovery
- Radiation Producing Equipment
- Asbestos Exposure
- Combat Related Mental Illness (PTSD)
The ceremony was sponsored by the Marlborough Historical Society, with support from the mayor’s office and the Department of Veterans Services.
Listen to episode 2696 and discover more about how the good people of Marlborough, Massachusetts are honoring the memory of their fallen veterans.
