Valley Blue Sox to Host Ceremony to Honor World War I Hero

HOLYOKE — On Sunday, June 25 at MacKenzie Stadium, the Valley Blue Sox, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, state Reps. Aaron Vega and John Velis, along with retired Lt. Col. Bennett Walsh, superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers Home; and Col. Les “Anchor” Bradfield III, 439th Operations commander at Westover, will honor the World War I service of Holyoke resident and Medal of Honor recipient John MacKenzie and the 100-year anniversary of World War I.

This effort will also be supported by Holyoke Veterans Services, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and the Massachusetts WWI Centennial Commission, and has been spearheaded by VFW WWI Centennial Commemoration State Director Brian Willette.

A pregame ceremony honoring MacKenzie will take place at 4:30 p.m. with Clark Eckhoff, owner of the the Blue Sox, who will dedicate the 2017 season to MacKenzie, a U.S. Navy boatswain mate who was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving his ship and crewmates aboard the USS Remlik on Dec. 17, 1917. Morse will also symbolically rededicate the stadium in honor of MacKenzie by mayoral proclamation, along with citations honoring MacKenzie from Vega, Velis, and state Sen. Don Humason.

The event will feature the Veterans of Foreign War WWI Centennial State Honor Guard, and Walsh will honor MacKenzie with a reading of the Medal of Honor Citation followed by the singing of the National Anthem as a WWI commemorative flag is raised along with the American flag. The WWI centennial flag with be flown for the remainder of the Blue Sox season.