Hill Happenings

Members of the Mission Hill Post 327 gathered at Siros Restaurant on Marina Bay, Quincy, last month for a meeting and somewhat of a reunion since the onset of COVID-19. 

We welcomed three new members, Lt. Col. Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse; our first female member, Nancy Ross; and Tom Marroni. 

Woody, who served with the famous Tuskegee Airmen as a fighter pilot, joins George Salah as our now second World War II veteran.  Nancy, a Navy Vet, serves as our Post Vice Commander. Former Mission Hill softball great Tom Marroni served in the Army as a helicopter pilot.

George Salah drove Navy landing craft in the Europe and Pacific theaters. George won battle stars at Omaha Beach on D-Day, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima and other places. Another member, Thomas McCarthy, from Tobin Court in the Mission Hill project, served in Vietnam. Tom survived an ambush where he was shot five times, and he was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. 

We have several other combat veterans including Jimmy Daley, also from Tobin Court, who served two tours in Vietnam and earn a Bronze Star. The Commander of our post is Col. George Rollins, yet another vet from Tobin Court. Col. Rollins, a West Point graduate, carried a shotgun on foot patrol in Afghanistan at age 61. Guests who attended the Marina Bay meeting/party and who support our Post include Mellissa Collin, Kristen Moore; the lovely Jennifer; Leona Dunphy; former Boston College assistant basketball coach Tom McCarthy; and Emmanuel College women’s hoop coach, Andy Yosinoff, who has won more than 800 games at Emmanuel. 

The Mission Hill Post is a staunch supporter of our veterans and also supports the Mission Hill community.

Several of our Post members passed away. Condolences to the family of Joe Cotrone, who died last month. Joe was a good guy who loved Mission Hill and Mission Church. Joe was a bartender at the Choppin’ Block (currently The Mission) back when Gerry Dwyer was the owner and Joe was always pleasant. Joe will be missed. Longtime Mission Church priest, Fr. Philip Cabasino died last month at age 99. The wonderful priest, who would have been 100 on July 26, was an Army Military Chaplain, who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was fun-loving, socializing with his congregants, as well as playing the drums at Christmas parties and on St. Patrick’s Day. God Bless Fr. Cabasino. 

Another Post 327 member who recently passed  was World War II Navy vet and Post Past Commander Carson “Johnny” Johnson. 

In other news Dee Dee Casey (Lawless) will celebrate a milestone birthday on Aug. 21. Dee Dee, from the Hill, is a 1968 Mission High graduate, and she is still looking good. She is a nurse at the terrific New England Baptist Hospital. 

Also regarding the exploits of Post 327 members from Tuskegee fighter Pilot, D-Day boat driver, being shot five times, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and 23 surgeries, the lovely bartender at Victory Point, Matti, after hearing about our members, asked our Post Commander,  “Oh my God, are you running a club for crazy people?”

The Mass. Senate voted for a bill to abolish “Qualified Immunity” last month, Qualified immunity prevents police officers from being personally sued for their actions in the line of duty. I disagree with the Senate and our Mission Hill State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, who voted for the bill. This bill is a remedy for a non-existent problem, as we are blessed with a fine Boston Police force. It will, however, be a bonanza for lawyers, filing frivolous lawsuits.  At this writing, I’m not sure where our State Rep., Nika Elugardo stands on this matter. If we’re going to do away with qualified immunity for police, why not for politicians and judges? 

Regarding judges, a horrid case comes to mind when Judge Lisa Grant sentenced Bampumim Teixeira to less than a year behind bars for two bank robberies a few years ago. Teixeira, living in Chelsea, who wasn’t a citizen, served nine months, and upon his release from jail, he broke into the South Boston home of Drs. Lina Bolanos and Richard Field and murdered them. Obviously, Teixeira should have received a longer sentence and been deported.  If Judge Grant, appointed by Deval Patrick, has Qualified Immunity, so should our police force.

1 comment for “Hill Happenings

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.