Bettencourt Talks With Local Vets

Mayoral hopeful Ted Bettencourt met with Peabody veterans last night to discuss how the city can better serve and support men and women in uniform.

Bettencourt commends existing veterans groups within the city for supporting local vets and their families and says he hopes to expand on those efforts.

"We owe them [veterans] an enormous debt. There are many different ways that communities can step up to repay that debt,” said Bettencourt in a press statement.

He did not highlight any specific ways to do that, however, going on to note that the Peabody Veterans Council, which represents 10 veterans organizations in Peabody, discussed various issues related to reintegrating into society and the transition of retiring from the the military.

The roundtable of veterans included WWII veteran Tony Pimenta, Peabody Veterans Council President Ray Silva, Vietnam War veteran retired Brigadier Gen. Al Mangone, Vietnam vets brothers George and Ed Grenier, Iraqi War soldier Kyle Grenier (Ed's son), Firefighter and Bosnian War vet Stephen Pellegrini, past Co-Presidents of the Army National Guard Family Support Group Debra and Michael Ryan, and Lt. Robert Dunne and his wife Beverley, a School Committee member. Dunne recently returned from a year deployment in Iraq.