Monthly Archives: January 2018

Take a five minute break, grab a cup of tea, and watch Jo-Ann DeMaria Morgan and Peter Scandone discuss with Milford TV’s Tim Caouette the search for families of Milford’s fallen heroes. Since we launched the search campaign on January 9th, we have found EIGHT of the families! We are still seeking ELEVEN more. Please review the list and let us know if you can provide information for any of these deserving families. Simply email us at CitizensforMilford@gmail.com. Thank you! And thank you Milford TV!

To attain its goal of presenting a Massachusetts Medal of Liberty to all the families of Milfordians who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending our country, the Milford Medal of Liberty Committee is asking all area residents for their help in identifying surviving kin of seventeen servicemen for whom no family information is currently available.

The Massachusetts Medal of Liberty is an honor awarded in the name of the Governor of Massachusetts as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth to the family of any Massachusetts serviceman or woman killed in action or who died as a result of wounds received in action.

The Milford Medal of Liberty Committee needs family contact information for the following servicemen. Family members could include spouses, siblings, children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, or cousins.

• Robert A. Craddock, S. Army, (1913 – 1945)
• Anthony Grudinsky, U.S. Army, (1922 – 1945)
• Paul T. Hayes, U.S. Army, (1909 – 1945)
• John G. Hising, Jr., U.S. Army, (1917 – 1943)
• Donal T. Kirby, U.S. Army, (1918 – 1944)
• Orville W. Lapham, U.S. Army, (1916 – 1944)
• Lester C. Lavoie, U.S. Marine Corps, (1928 – 1950)
• Oscar A. Lundgren, (1897 – 1944)
• Ralph Maxfield, U.S. Navy, (1923 – 1950)
• Hiram J. Philpot, U.S. Army, (1907 – 1944)
• Thomas F. Rogers, U.S. Army, (1923 – 1944)
• Harold W. Rogerson, U.S. Army, (1916 – 1944)
• James V. Rooney, U.S. Navy, (1931 – 1953)
• David H. Rubenstein, U.S. Army, (1925 – 1944)
• Theodore J. Tusoni, U.S. Army, (1924 – 1944)
• Joseph J. Von Flatern, Jr., U.S. Army, (1925 – 1944)
• Harold I. White, U.S. Army, (1916 – 1945)

Read more details about these servicemen here.

Residents who have information or possible leads on where to find the family members of any of these servicemen are asked to contact one of the Medal of Liberty Committee members:

• Vincent Cifizzari
  Send email to Vinniecif@yahoo.com or call 774.287.0004
• Jo-Ann De Maria Morgan
  Send email to joann.d.morgan@verizon.net or call 508.435.9602
• Peter Scandone
  Send email to pscandone4@outlook.com or call 774.573.5335

Information can also be sent by email to CitizensforMilford@gmail.com.

Committee member Vincent Cifizzari says, “We will be sincerely grateful to all members of our community who can help identify the families of these seventeen fallen heroes. It will be our honor to do the work necessary to ensure each family is recognized and presented with a Medal of Liberty as a small gesture of appreciation for their loved one’s service and sacrifice.”

Nearly seventy Milford servicemen qualify for the Medal of Liberty, including the seventeen for whom the committee seeks family information. The first medals were presented this past Veterans Day to the surviving family members of eight Milfordians who were killed in action during World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq.

The Medal of Liberty Committee and Citizens for Milford plan to present the medal to as many of the remaining families as possible at its next ceremony, which will be held Sunday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m. in Milford Town Hall.

Learn more on the VETERANS page.

To download and print our flyer to share with others, click here.

Milford Parks Director and Commissioners to Answer Questions at Citizens for Milford’s Public Meeting on January 30 at Town Library. All Milford Residents Invited to Attend.

Citizens for Milford invites all residents to attend our first public meeting of the new year on Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Milford Town Library.

Milford Parks Director Michael Bresciani and Parks Commission members Joseph F. Arcudi, Paul J. Braza, and Paul Pellegrini will be our special guests.

“A key component of Citizens for Milford’s mission is to host casual public meetings that provide direct access to our public officials. We encourage residents to join us on January 30th to meet Mr. Bresciani and the Parks Commissioners and ask them questions regarding all of Milford’s parks and athletic fields,” says Chairman Steve Trettel.

Additional agenda items include a discussion of projects and events that Citizens for Milford has planned for 2018, such as the Candidates Forum, Beautification Day, the Medal of Liberty Ceremony, the Draper Memorial Park Field of Flags, and the Christmas Tree Lighting.

The Milford Town Library is located at 80 Spruce Street. The meeting will be held in the library’s Granite and Quarry rooms on the lower level. Limited parking is available at the library. Additional parking is available on Spruce Street and at nearby Stacy Middle School.