Westport Veterans Service Officer

05/27/2026

We had an amazing turnout at Westport’s Memorial Day ceremony on Monday. Thank you again to everyone who attended and everyone who had a role in the ceremony.

You can watch the video here:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp3tx_7t2MY

Wreath-laying ceremonies:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e_YmKN-0VZA

05/24/2026

Memorial Day Parade & Ceremony Update:

Due to the forecast for rain between 9 and 11 AM tomorrow, the Memorial Day parade has been cancelled.

The ceremony will take place at the Town Hall Annex Gym at 856 Main Road (behind the building) at 10 AM.

05/21/2026

Thank you to all of you for your part in honoring our veterans who have passed.

05/20/2026

I extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Ronald Costa.

Ron served as the Town of Westport’s Veterans Service Officer for 29 years, retiring in 2011 after nearly three decades of dedicated service to our veterans and their families. He was also an active member of several veterans organizations, including the Westport Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8502 and the Bristol County Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 207.

Ron devoted his life to serving both his country and the Westport community.

Rest in peace, Ron, and thank you for your many years of service to our nation and to Westport veterans.

View Ronald Costa's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

05/18/2026

Honoring 250 Years of Service and Sacrifice

🇺🇸 Join the Town of Westport this Memorial Day Weekend as we honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation.

📍 Saturday, May 23, 2026 – Wreath-Laying Ceremonies beginning at 9:00 AM at locations throughout Westport.

📍 Monday, May 25, 2026 – Memorial Day Parade begins at 9:30 AM at Town Hall, followed by a ceremony at Beech Grove Cemetery at approximately 10:00 AM.

In case of inclement weather, the parade will be cancelled and Monday’s ceremony will be held indoors at the Town Hall Annex Gym at 10:00 AM.

All are welcome to attend as we come together to remember and honor our fallen heroes who have served our nation over the past 250 years.

For updates, visit the Westport Veterans’ Services website or this Veterans’ Service Office page.
https://www.westport-ma.com/veterans_services/

05/16/2026

It is looking like a beautiful day to honor veterans buried in Westport. We will be placing flags at Beech Grove Cemetery at 10 am today.

Everyone is welcome to join us.

05/14/2026

**Final Update before the Funeral for John Bernard Arnold III**

🚨 Event and Traffic Advisory 🚨

The Hanson Police Department has been advised of a potentially large-scale event at St. Joseph the Worker Church on Maquan Street on Monday, 5/18/26.

The funeral for John Bernard Arnold III, a WWII Navy Veteran, will take place at 11:00 AM. In anticipation of the Veterans Agent’s Call to Action and a large number of attendees, please be aware of the following traffic and parking information:

• Maquan Street (Route 14), between School Street and Indian Head Street, will be CLOSED beginning at 9:30 AM for the duration of the event.

• Church doors will not open prior to 10:00 AM.

• Designated parking locations:
Botieri Field – 777 Indian Head Street
Former Maquan School – 38 School Street

• No parking will be permitted along roadways or in non-designated areas.

• Please be advised that all parking locations will require walking to the church. Assistance crossing roadways will be available.

• Law Enforcement/Military staging will be located behind 795 Indian Head Street (Hanson Highway Department).

We respectfully ask all attendees to be courteous to the surrounding neighbors, follow all posted guidelines, and comply with directions from law enforcement personnel on scene.

———
Update May 15, 2026:

Please be informed. Take the time to read graphic that has been added.

Next update will provide more information regarding parking and road closures.

We look forward to your attendance and appreciate you attention to the updates that are being provided.

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Update May 15, 2026:

Thank you all again for your continued efforts to reach out to volunteer your time at the funeral of John Bernard Arnold III. At this moment, all volunteer offerings are no longer needed. We have had an incredible response to this matter and are now working on ensuring the safety of the attendees, and the area in which the service is taking place.

All those wishing to attend the service, please check this post prior to the event, for any instruction/information released. We want this ceremony to be as special as the Veteran we are honoring.

Again, volunteers are no longer needed. But, your attendance at the church is welcomed.

Thank you.

————
**Edit: The response to this has been more than amazing. Planning has been underway since early this morning when I first was notified of the situation. At this time, your attendance will be the best way to help send this Veteran off to his final resting place. Once again, thank you to all that have reached out offering to be pallbearers, tagging different people and groups. This is exactly how to our community (not just the Veterans) should come together. This is more than I could’ve ever imagined when I received the first message asking for help.

I look forward to seeing everyone there on Monday. It’s shaping up to be a fitting send off**

05/12/2026

Message from Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services:

I am writing you to bring to your attention an issue involving veterans and predatory collection practices by so-called "claim sharks" — companies that charge disabled veterans large sums for help claiming benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

These companies or individuals may promise to increase a VA disability rating or “guarantee” benefits. They often charge large upfront fees or a percentage of back pay. Many are not accredited by the VA, which means they’re not legally allowed to represent veterans in certain parts of the claims process.

In order to ensure veterans receive assistance from an individual or organization that understands the VA claims process, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs only recognizes accredited representatives, such as:

VA-accredited attorneys
Claims agents
Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) like DAV, VFW, American Legion
Massachusetts Veterans Service Officers who are accredited through EOVS

Unaccredited “claims sharks” may:

Give misleading advice
File questionable or inflated claims
Charge fees that accredited reps legally cannot (especially for initial claims, which should be free)

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” in trade or commerce. A VA claims consulting company might run afoul of 93A if it does things like:

Misrepresenting accreditation (implying they’re VA-approved when they’re not)
Charging illegal or improper fees (especially for initial claims that should be free)
Guaranteeing results or exaggerating success rates
Targeting vulnerable veterans with deceptive marketing
Failing to disclose key facts (like that free help is available through VSOs)

St. 2024, c. 178, § 47, effective August 8, 2024 updated M.G.L. Chapter 115 Section 18 (Mass. General Laws c.115 § 18 | Mass.gov) and made unaccredited "claims sharks" a violation of Chapter 93A.
If you think a veteran may be the victim of a claim shark, they can file a complaint with the Attorney General's Office Consumer Protection Bureau Consumer Hotline at (617) 727-8400 or file a complaint online at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint

If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact [email protected].

Are you having a problem with a business? File a complaint with the Attorney General's Office (AGO).