JOHN VELIS
Hello Westfield! I hope that you are all enjoying the start of the Holiday season. I want to start this update by thanking everyone who has reached out to my office this week to support my position on the removal of the American Flag at Hampshire College. Your words of encouragement have meant the world to me and were much appreciated during such a busy week.
I was honored on Sunday to speak at the peaceful demonstration outside Hampshire College and represent my fellow Veterans who attended the event. I am very proud of the hundreds of vets and patriots who came to show their pride in the American Flag after Hampshire College decided it would no longer fly the flag over its campus. It was quite the sight to see over a thousand flags in one place.
Monday marked the beginning of a national media frenzy around the story, and I was lucky enough to travel to New York to do 2 live studio interviews on “Fox and Friends” and the Fox Business show “Risk and Reward” on Tuesday. I was also able to do interviews on NECN’s “The Take with Sue O’Connell” and the Michele McPhee radio show more locally. I am blown away by the support I have received from not just Westfield, but all over Massachusetts, and as far away as Michigan and Virginia.
I am happy to report that as of Friday morning, Old Glory once again is flying over Hampshire College. I am grateful to President Lash for listening to the voices of Veterans and their families and finally restoring her to where she belongs. Today, I wrote a letter to the college thanking them for raising the flag and asking for a meeting, during which I hope to discuss the meaning behind the flag and their decision to remove it in the first place. I look forward to their response and hope to have a meaningful dialogue.
Meanwhile, I am beginning a 10-day fact-finding trip to Israel to learn more about the country, its people, and its business relationship with the Commonwealth. During the trip, I will be travelling the country to visit Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip. I am most looking forward to meeting with members of the Israel Parliament and Defense Forces, as well as visiting important religious and historic sites. I will be gone until December 11th, but please feel free to reach out to my office while I’m gone at (413) 572-3920 or email me at [email protected].
