“In Service to America: Haverhill’s Heroes From the Revolutionary War to Present” is a collection of stories, documents, photos and more that honors local veterans. (file photograph)
Local author E. Philip Brown is expected to release his latest book mid-June. (courtesy photo)
A new work by Haverhill author E. Philip Brown highlights Haverhill veterans and the role locals have played in our nation’s many wars. “In Service to America: Haverhill’s Heroes From the Revolutionary War to Present” was inspired by Sal DeFranco, veteran and owner of the Battle Grounds Coffee Company who wrote the forward for the book, Brown said.
“I’ve been hanging around Battle Grounds Coffee since they opened and got the know Sal and Dana, the owners, and saw what they do for local veterans.”
Sponsorship, advertisement and sales of the book will help to raise funds for local veteran’s organizations such as the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center, American Legion, AMVETS, VFW and Korean War Veterans.
“I feel horrible for what military people go through and how little support they get when they get back, the problems they have,” he said.
Brown recently retired from teaching history at Haverhill High School, but he wasn’t much of a local history buff before then.
“They put me in teaching the history of Haverhill my first year teaching in 2007 and I had to come up with something because all I knew was, like, shoes and Hannah Duston, so now I gotta fill another four months,” Brown laughed.
Once he began researching local history, Brown said his interest grew with his knowledge. According to him, Haverhill played an important role in winning America’s independence and thousands of military from the area have served in all of the country’s most crucial engagements from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This book contains summaries of Haverhill’s participation in America’s wars, lists of those who served and died, and a collection of documents, photos, stories, monuments and memorials collected by Brown through his research.
The project is funded, in part, by Boosters Zone, an organization founded by Brown to provide financial support for non-profits through advertising. As of the writing of this story, Brown is still accepting sponsors, advertisers, memorials and tributes to be included in the book.
Contact [email protected] for more information.