MANCHESTER There weren't any cheering crowds, Hail Mary passes, or screaming coaches when these football players teamed up.
No club seats, overpriced hot dogs, or peppy cheerleaders prancing around in the background, either.
When former New England Patriots players Ronnie Lippett and Pete Brock joined forces last weekend, it was to celebrate something a bit more important than football U.S. veterans.
To cap the week when millions of Americans get a vacation day, Lippett and Brock joined forces with the National Alliance of Dedicated Patriots to celebrate Veterans Day with servicemen and servicewomen at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Manchester.
The volunteers catered a luncheon and visited with veterans to honor their efforts and sacrifice that guaranteed the freedom every American enjoys today.
Although there were some battered bodies and a few broken spirits, officials said the veterans enjoyed the day, the meal, and the fact that there was someone who wanted to spend time with them.
"The event was great," said Sean Shea, founder of the National Alliance of Dedicated Patriots and a Milford resident. "Many vets said this was the best day that they had in years."
Lippett and some of the group's members visited each patient in their room after the event, and Lippett even signed autographs and posed for pictures with some of the veterans, Shea said.
"The children and the vets interacted terrifically," Shea explained. "Many of them don't see children that often."
Pete Brock, former New
England Patriot and
WBCN Patriots announcer,
addresses veterans
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New Hampshire congressman Jeb Bradley (left) talks with guests.
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Massachusetts Senate president Robert Travaligni greets veteran Ernest Gagnon (one of the first men to hit the beach on D-Day).
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Veteran Ernie C and visiting children.
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Ernie C meets ex-New England Patriots Ronnie Lippett.
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Author: Stephanie Coyne
Source: MediaNews Correspondent
Source Link: http://www.1590.com/Stories/0,1413,222~23679~1779988,00.html
