For all the bad news in the world, there are still plenty of people doing very good things for others. It was rewarded for us to play a part in making the public aware of one such recent kind act. Last summer, the remains of Weymouth, Mass., resident and US Army Private Alfred Langevin, who gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest in late 1944, were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Private Langevin was returned to his hometown and was given a burial befitting a hero. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the McDonald Keohane Funeral Home of South Weymouth. The federal government gave McDonald Keohane $10,000 to pay for the services. But that didn’t sit right with the funeral home’s owners. They took the money and donated it to our friends at the New England Center and Home for Veterans, presenting the check during a visit to the NECHV’s Boston location on Feb. 18 (photo).
The Patriot Ledger newspaper reported on the donation. Its story including the following passage: Dennis Keohane, co-owner of McDonald Keohane Funeral Home, said they “just didn’t feel right accepting those funds” from the federal government. They chose to donate to the New England Center and Home for Veterans “because we were familiar with all the work they do and how they fill the gaps where some veterans can’t get care.” The donation represented something “really, really important, very special,” said Andrew McCawley, president and CEO of the New England Center and Home for Veterans. “This is paying it forward to the veterans in our community who are experiencing challenges and will benefit from this leadership gift.”
Thank you, McDonald Keohane, for your kind act on behalf of an American hero.
