MILFORD, MA. April 22, 2010. Field Chair, Tom Boyle, convened the quarterly meeting of the twenty-three MAESGR Committee Members in attendance. His first order of business after leading the group in the Pledge of Allegiance was to introduce the guest speaker of the evening, Attorney William F. Sinnott. Attorney Sinnott, a member of the Boston Bar Association (BBA), briefed the gathering on an initiative he is heading up to provide legal services to veterans and members of the various Reserve components. Attorney Sinnott is a native of Boston and a graduate of the Boston Public Schools. He is also a retired Colonel in the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve. Prior to becoming Corporation Counsel for Boston, Attorney Sinnott served as Assistant United States Attorney and Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney.  

Attorney Sinnott said that this initiative began when the U. S. Army came to the Boston Bar Association and asked for help. LTC Anthony Sciaraffa of the U. S. Army's Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps explained that the Army, and particularly the families of soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from National Guard and Reserve components, were being overwhelmed with legal issues arising from the hardships of lengthy deployments and the economy. The result is that soldiers in the field are being distracted from their missions. They often arrive home to a host of legal issues, some known, some unknown, after a lengthy deployment. Many of the legal issues continue after the service members' discharge from active duty or the reserve and the transition into veteran and civilian status.   

The soldiers and their families need help knowing how to access the extensive legal services community in Greater Boston. They also need help learning how to apply for pro bono assistance from the many lawyers and private law firms ready, willing, and able to offer such assistance. That is the mission of The BBA's newly formed Committee for Legal Services for Veterans, Military Personnel, and their Families. Attorney Sinnott chairs the Committee. About 25 lawyers have agreed to serve on the Committee. They are a very diverse group, and include experienced representatives of Greater Boston Legal Services and the Volunteer Lawyers Project.  

The goal of the Committee is to first learn the facts and the scope of this situation, including the types of legal services needed, the best methods to deliver them, and how an effective and sustainable referral network can be established between the military community, on the one hand, and the legal services community and the private bar on the other. It is still being developed and Attorney Sinnott envisions it be expanded beyond the Boston Bar Association. He finished by answering many questions from the attendees.  

Chairman Boyle presented Presidential Volunteer Service Awards (PVSA) to committee members who earned the various honors during FY 2009 but were unable to attend the January 2010 meeting. A total of thirteen members earned a PVSA during the past fiscal year. Members present to receive their well deserved recognition were:

               Bronze (100 to 249 hours)     

                             Holly Boyko and Bob Pomeroy

               Silver (250-499 hours) 

                                    Joachim-Ingo (Ski) Borowski  

               Gold (500 or more hours) 

                                    John Pelose  

Roger Fortin also earned a silver award and will have it presented at a later date.   

It was announced that two Massachusetts employers have been selected as semifinalists for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award is the U. S. Government's highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. Nominations for the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award were accepted from November 2009 through mid-January 2010. Of Massachusetts' 46 nominations for the Freedom Award, the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department and Norel Service Co. of Waltham were selected as semifinalists. The two Massachusetts employers are among only 130 semifinalists from across the nation, selected from more than 2,500 nominations submitted by Guard and Reserve members or their families for outstanding employer support.    

The two newest committee members were then introduced to the gathering. Arthur A. Parker, Carver Police Chief, was recruited by member Bob Pomeroy who is a retired Chief of the Plymouth Police Department. Kevin Martin, Firefighter/EMT with the Ashburnham Fire Department, was recruited by the Ashburnham Fire Chief, Paul Zbikowski. Chairman Boyle welcomed both to the organization and thanked the two "recruiters".  

The next major event for the committee is the Annual Awards Banquet to be held on May 15th at Hanscom AFB. We look forward to having another successful Banquet with about 60 invited employers present to be recognized for their outstanding support of our Nation's Guard and Reserve members.  

   

 Attorney William Sinnott briefing the MA ESGR members

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 Left to Right:  MA Field Chair Tom Boyle and Attorney WilliamSinnott _______________________________________________________________________________

 

Left to Right:  MA Field Chair Tom Boyle presenting the PVSA award to Holly Boyko ___________________________________________________________________________

If you would join the MA ESGR Committee and volunteer your time, call the MA Committee for ESGR at 508-233-7249 or go to www.esgr.mil