SALUTE TO VETERANS BREAKFAST

Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
7:15 to 9:30 a.m.
Danversport Yacht Club

presented by The North Shore Chamber of Commerce and Premier Sponsor, Wellpoint

Thank you to the many member businesses and veterans who participated in the Chamber’s 4th Annual Salute to Veterans Breakfast. It was an honor to recognize the North Shore’s veterans and military members as we enjoyed breakfast and presented The Minuteman Service Awards.

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2024 Keynote Speaker: MSG Kevin Holland

From Seal Team Six to Delta Force, Master Sergeant Kevin Holland is the only publicly known operative to have served in both units over his noteworthy 20-year military career.
Holland entered the U.S. Navy in 1988 and has never looked back. He volunteered for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, which started with a BUD/S class of 80 people, ultimately graduating only eight. This entire class was assigned to SEAL Team Eight.
Desert Storm began during Holland’s first deployment. In 1990, his team was assigned to Northern Iraq to conduct deep reconnaissance and sniper missions. Upon completion, Holland was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal. After successfully completing sniper missions without training, Holland was sent to Sniper School. Identified as being in the top 1% of Navy SEALs, Holland was asked to interview for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, which served as the Navy’s counter-terrorism unit (also known as SEAL Team Six).
Holland separated from the Navy in 1995 and began working as a wildlife forester in his local county. He taught survival and land navigation to platoons of SEALs and classes of civilians to supplement his income.
Hearing the call to serve after 9/11, Holland re-enlisted. He was assigned to the US Army Special Operations Command from 2002 to 2013. He completed the 8-month Special Forces Qualification Course (Q Course) in 2005 and earned his Special Forces Tab and Green Beret. He deployed 20 times to the Middle East, conducting over 2,000 combat missions. He was wounded by shrapnel in 2004 when an IED exploded behind his vehicle, killing one of the members of his team.
In March 2011, while on a mission in the Middle East, Holland was hit multiple times by a foreign fighter firing a belt-fed PKM Machine gun from just 20 yards away. Holland received more than 30 awards, including seven Bronze Stars (with two awarded for valor in combat) along with two Purple Hearts.

The Minuteman Service Award recognizes one individual and one business demonstrating selfless dedication and outstanding leadership to our country in support of our military or veterans community. Our Salute to Veterans Committee — comprised of Chamber members, active military and veterans –reviews all nominations submitted by the community.

This year’s worthy recipients are JOHN J. COLLINS of Marblehead and WINDOVER CONSTRUCTION, INC. in Beverly.

Please join us in congratulating them and showing gratitude for their dedication to improving and respecting the lives of veterans and their families across our region.

2023 Salute to Veterans Breakfast

Nov. 9, 2023

The North Shore Chamber of Commerce was honored to host the annual Salute to Veterans breakfast on Thursday, Nov. 9 at Danversport.

Together with our premier sponsor, UniCare, and our supporting sponsor, O’Donnell Funeral Services, we welcomed veterans and active military from throughout the North Shore for a celebration of patriotism and service.

Spc. Amy Fichera, an Army National Guard vocalist opened the program with a performance of the National Anthem as the Color Guard presented the colors.

Following an invocation by Chaplain Christopher Ziegler and a moment of silence for all fallen military, Major General Gary Keefe, Adjutant General Massachusetts National Guard, highlighted the importance of Veterans Day as a celebration of service. He thanked employers for recognizing the sacrifice of military and veterans.

General Keefe asked all those in the audience who served to stand as he read the list of wars. We are honored to have been joined by a veteran from World War II, who lives at Brooksby Village. General Keefe also thanked the Gold Star mothers and wives in the audience.

The large crowd listened attentively as keynote speaker Skip Soderholm, a retired Command Sergeant Major and decorated combat veteran with more than 25 years of service to the U.S. Army and U.S. Special Operations Command reflected on his service. Soderholm spent 20 years serving in the Army’s elite Special Missions Unit (SMU) where he served as an operator, team leader, master breacher, instructor, Troop Sergeant Major, Operations Sergeant Major, and Command Sergeant Major. He has 11 combat deployments to the Middle East where he participated in more than 800 combat missions. Soderholm has been awarded 10 Bronze Star medals, twice for valor, along with three Purple Heart medals.

The Salute to Veterans event also included the presentation of the 2023 Minuteman Service Awards. Joe LeBlanc, director of veterans services for North Andover and Boxford, and Paradise Dental Associates, LLC of Salem, were recognized for all the work they do to help the veterans community.

Thank you to the many businesses who sponsored this program, allowing veterans and military to attend for free.

2023 KEYNOTE SPEAKER

We are pleased to welcome this year’s Keynote Speaker, Skip Soderholm, a retired Command Sergeant Major and decorated combat veteran with more than 25 years of service to the U.S. Army and U.S. Special Operations Command.
Soderholm spent 20 years serving in the Army’s elite Special Missions Unit (SMU) where he served as an operator, team leader, master breacher, instructor, Troop Sergeant Major, Operations Sergeant Major, and Command Sergeant Major. He has 11 combat deployments to the Middle East where he participated in more than 800 combat missions.
Soderholm, a disabled veteran, has been awarded 10 Bronze Star medals, twice for valor, along with three Purple Heart medals. Soderholm is a graduate of many military schools, including the U.S. Army Ranger School, Special Forces Qualification Course, the Operator Training Course, and the US Army Sergeants Major Academy.

2023 MINUTEMAN SERVICE AWARD HONOREES

This year’s recipients of the prestigious honor are Joe LeBlanc, director of veterans services for North Andover and Boxford, and Paradise Dental Associates, LLC of Salem.

During his tenure as veterans services director, Joe LeBlanc has performed countless acts to call attention to veterans and ensure that they are honored. This includes: lobbying for North Andover and Boxford to be named as Purple Heart communities; refurbishing the World War I Memorial to correct misspelled names; working with the Lawrence Exchange Club to host a “Field of Honor” in North Andover; and coordinating a COVID-19 vaccination clinic with the Bedford Veterans Hospital and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2104.

Paradise Dental Associates, LLC, in Salem has a long history of offering dental care to veterans. In previous years, they hosted a day in November where veterans could receive free care at their office. Today, the dentists work with the VA department to provide dental treatment for free, or at a reduced cost, for all veterans.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR 2022 SALUTE TO VETERANS BREAKFAST

The North Shore Chamber and UniCare had the privilege of co-hosting our annual tribute to our veterans and servicemen and women on Nov. 10 at the Boston Marriott Peabody.
Thank you to our keynote speaker – Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Ryan Pitts – who left us all inspired and grateful for his valor, loyalty and dedication in defense of our nation in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Congratulations to Minutemen Service Award honorees Kristine Babcock, the retired veterans services coordinator for North Shore Community College in Danvers, and Coastal Windows & Exteriors, Inc. of Beverly and its owner, Stephanie Vanderbilt, who were recognized for their exceptional acts of leadership and commitment on behalf of our nation’s military.
We extend our appreciation to the many businesses and individuals who supported our Salute to Veterans Breakfast through their generous sponsorship of tickets to allow our veterans and member of the military to attend the event for free.
Thank you also to the members of our Host Committee who volunteered their time and talents to the success of our annual celebration of patriotism, service and our nation’s military.