Agawam church shows gratitude for vets

AGAWAM, Mass. (WWLP) - Veterans are full of memories, be it happy or painful but there is always a sense of pride for serving their country.

Anthony Calvanese is a World War II veteran from Agawam said he is often thanked in little ways for his service, “I have a purple heart [license] plate and if I stop at a red light and somebody pulls along and they toot their horn and they give me a thumbs up, they show a great deal of appreciation you know.”

For this time around Veterans Day, the Maranatha Baptist Church in Agawam wanted to make sure these vets were honored and given a home made meal.

 “We want people to know the veterans in this area, that we're very grateful for the time they served their country,” said Tammy Roberts who is an Air Force Veteran and a member of the church.

Tammy and her husband Richard are both veterans and met while serving. With this church service and meal, they wanted to make sure all vets were honored for their sacrifice. “We should never turn our back on a veteran and I'm glad some of them are here today so we can truly show how appreciative we are of them,” said Richard Roberts.

All of the veterans that attended the church service were given a pin that reads "Proud to be a Veteran" so that everyone could know that they had served their country.

And they too remembered those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.“I think of good friends that you missed years ago when you're growing up and today you dont' have them you just got to remember,” said Donald Kinsley who enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1961.

All of these veterans may not attend the church but with this special service they were able to meet others who have gone through similar experiences to defend their country and receive thanks for their time in the military.