Search for The Westfield News
WEATHER TONIGHT Clear skies. Low of 16.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
“The only reason for time is so that everything
doesn’t happen at once.”
— ALBERT EINSTEIN
MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014
VOL. 83 NO. 302
75 cents
Kevin Regan dies in Cape Cod accident
Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Gen. John Campbell, right, and ISAF Gen. Hans-Lothar Domrose attend a ceremony at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. The United States and NATO formally ended their war in Afghanistan on Sunday with the ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul as the insurgency they fought for 13 years remains as ferocious and deadly as at any time since the 2001 invasion that unseated the Taliban regime following the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)
Velis keeps close watch on end of Afghan war By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer KABUL, Afghanistan — The war in Afghanistan, fought for 13 bloody years and still raging, came to a formal end yesterday with a quiet flaglowering ceremony in Kabul that marked the transition of the fighting from U.S.-led combat troops to the country’s own security forces. Westfield’s state Rep. John Velis, a captain in the U.S. Army, helped train those security forces on Rule of Law while deployed in Afghanistan and said he is watching the transition closely. “Every day I read about Afghanistan,” he said. When asked how he believes the change will transpire, Velis said “I think it’s going to depend where you are in Afganistan.” Velis said Kandahar Provence is the key to Afghanistan. “However Kandahar goes, Afghanistan goes,” he said, adding that many small villages are still so far behind the modern world that the Taliban has a firm grip there. Velis was pleased when President Obama changed the wording of a directive that calls for the U.S. troops to direct operatives against Al Qaeda to also include targeting the Taliban. “The Taliban is the real threat,” Velis said. ‘Without rule of law, people go to the Taliban. For the next year, it’s going to be about who can win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people across the counrty.”
CAPT. JOHN VELIS Because the population there is so fluid, Velis said it is difficult to pinpoint the number of people living in Afghanistan. “The concept of having a census doesn’t exist,” he said. “When you come back from deployment there, it reaffirms your commitment and love for a place like America.” In front of a small, hand-picked audience at the headquarters of the NATO mission, the green-and-white flag of the International Security Assistance Force was ceremonially rolled up and sheathed, and the flag of the new international mission called Resolute Support was hoisted. U.S. Gen. John Campbell, commander of ISAF, commemorated the 3,500 international soldiers killed on Afghan battlefields and praised the
country’s army for giving him confidence that they are able to take on the fight alone. “Resolute Support will serve as the bedrock of an enduring partnership” between NATO and Afghanistan, Campbell told an audience of Afghan and international military officers and officials, as well as diplomats and journalists. “The road before us remains challenging, but we will triumph,” he added. Beginning Jan. 1, the new mission will provide training and support for Afghanistan’s military, with the U.S. accounting for almost 11,000 of the 13,500 members of the residual force. “Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion,” U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement issued in Hawaii, where he is on vacation with his family. Velis said he looks forward to the return of U.S. troops, including members of the 104th Fighter Wing currently deployed in Afghanistan. “This is America’s largest war,” he said. “This American combat mission is coming to an end and we lost a lot of men and women, and there are many coming back without
By CARL E. HARTDEGEN AND PETER FRANCIS Staff Writers WESTFIELD – A prominent city firefighter was the victim late Saturday evening of a fatal vehicular crash in Yarmouth and his long-time companion was seriously injured when a man later charged with drunken driving struck the couple while they were crossing the street in West Yarmouth after eating at a local restaurant. A press release by the Yarmouth police reports that emergency responders were dispatched to a section of Route 28 at 11:43 p.m. after a motorist stuck Kevin Regan, 62, and Lynda M. Cavanaugh, 62, both of 228 Springdale Road. According to the Cape Cod Times, Regan and Cavanaugh were leaving Captain Parker’s Pub at the time of the accident, crossing Route 28. The Yarmouth police report that the emergency responders found the two city residents in the roadway when they arrived at the accident scene and Regan was transported to Cape Cod Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Cavanaugh was flown to a Boston hospital with injuries she is expected to survive. The operator of the 2009 Ford Econovan which had struck the couple, Paul G. Dennehy, 55, of South Yarmouth, stayed at the scene of the crash. Yarmouth police report that he appeared to be intoxicated, attempted standardized field sobriety tests and acknowledged that he had been drinking at two local establishments before he was arrested. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Barnstable District Court this morning on charges of motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence, and operating under the influence causing serious injury. Regan had been a prominent member of the city’s fire department, along with many of his family members, for decades. Westfield Deputy Fire Chief James Kane said Regan joined the department when he was 19-year-old and had served for 43 years, until his unexpected death.
See Aghanistan, Page 3
MARY REGAN
Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Gen. John Campbell, claps to celebrate the birthday of Gen. Hans-Lothar Domrose during a ceremony at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. The United States and NATO formally ended their war in Afghanistan on Sunday with the ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul as the insurgency they fought for 13 years remains as ferocious and deadly as at any time since the 2001 invasion that unseated the Taliban regime following the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)
l l l l l l l l l l
MoFroYo will be Closing Thier Doors on December 31st! Please come in to use any gift Certificates or Coupons or to just say goodbye before we close and enjoy some MoFroYo.
See Regan, Page 8
(Photo by Don Wielgus)
F F O % 0 5 ! g n i h t y r Eve )
u 12 /31 (now thr
Little River Plaza • 617 E. Main St., Westfield • www.mofroyo.com
KEVIN REGAN Kane said that he had known Regan all his life and said that he and his brother, along with Regan and his five brothers, had all been altar boys at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. Both boys were also connected by the fire department where both of their fathers worked, he said. He called Regan “a great guy” who “did a lot for the city firefighters over the years” particularly in negotiations with the city during the many years he served as president of the firefighter’s union. He said that, even when Regan donned his firefighter’s helmet, he continued to serve the city and had been the chairman of the city’s retirement board when he died. Kane said that Regan’s sister, current Fire Chief Mary Regan, has gone to Boston with Cavanaugh’s sister to be with his stricken companion. Regan was also a founding member of the Sons of Erin, the city’s Irish-American social club. Jayne Mulligan, an active member of the Sons of Erin and a Regan family friend, described Kevin as an “all-around great guy” this morning. “It’s absolutely devastating,” said Mulligan. “To call it tragic would be an understatement.” There was an outpouring of support this weekend on The Sons of Erin’s Facebook page, as visitors and friends paid respects to an affable and beloved community member. “He was really involved in his work and family,” said Mulligan. “It’s one of those things that is just unbelievable.” Mulligan added that Regan was involved heavily in city politics and with the Sons’ float in the annual Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade, among other activities. She also described Cavanaugh, whom Regan had been with since high school, as a “bundle of fun” and hopes she makes a quick and full recovery. Within the Westfield Fire Department, the sentiment is one of great sadness and grief this morning for a man who could have retired, but
l l l
HOLIDAY & YEAR END HOURS: 12/24: 2-4pm • 12/25: CLOSED • 12/26: 2-10pm 12/27: 12-10pm • 12/28: 12-9pm • 12/29: 12-9pm • 12/30: 12-9pm • 12/31: 12-9pm
l l l
Thank You For Your Business!