AGAWAM – Edward “Ned” Connelly Jr., was several weeks away from returning to Agawam when he was killed in Vietnam in 1968, but his presence is still felt at the memorial built in his honor at the high school. Gary F. Janulewicz, a town resident who attended Agawam High School with Connelly and later served in Vietnam as well, presided...
AGAWAM – Edward “Ned” Connelly Jr., was several weeks away from returning to Agawam when he was killed in Vietnam in 1968, but his presence is still felt at the memorial built in his honor at the high school.
Gary F. Janulewicz, a town resident who attended Agawam High School with Connelly and later served in Vietnam as well, presided over a brief ceremony at the school Friday where a memorial to Connelly has been revitalized.
In 1998, he said, the large rock in front of the school was embellished with a plaque paying homage to Connelly. The hope was that one day would be set aside each year when Connelly would be remembered with a brief ceremony by the student body. It was a hope that was not realized.
“Today is the rekindling of that suggestion,” Janulewicz said Friday afternoon to the small group gathered at Connelly’s memorial. “I am a Vietnam veteran and classmate of Ned. I returned to Agawam after a 47-year absence and learned of the marker and its apparent neglect.”
While preparing for his 50th class reunion in 2011, Janulewicz cleaned the area and contacted the Wreaths Across America organization asking it to place a wreath at Connelly’s remembrance plaque.
“After many emails, my request was granted,” he said. “Wreaths Across America’s promise is to ‘Remember, Honor and Teach.’ Today we fulfill that promise.”
To encourage greater student participation, Janulewicz is advocating for a ceremony to be held annually during a time of year with better weather.
The 1968, posthumous award of the Silver Medal from the Marines to Connelly and the citation accompanying it cites his bravery during a combat flight mission when he made a desperate attempt to retrieve wounded Marines.
Connelly was piloting the rescue helicopter when it was shot down and crashed.
“The pilot, Capt. Edward W. Connelly, of Agawam, Mass., was killed by gunfire after leaving the aircraft,” reads the citation.
He is buried in the Agawam Center Cemetery on Main Street.
