Veterans center to honor Holyoke Soldiers’ Home vets who died during COVID-19 pandemic

The tragedy that consumed the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home during the COVID-19 pandemic may have quieted in news headlines, but local veterans are determined to continue to honor the memories of those who died.

To that end, the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts will make those memories the focal point of its upcoming gala.

The agency will host its annual gala on Aug. 13 at the Log Cabin. Executive director Gumersindo Gomez and supporters of the event hope to galvanize families of the late veterans to come together for the event. The agency intends to waive its $85-per-person price for tickets for those family members, Gomez said.

“There is no higher calling for us than to celebrate their lives and to extend our love and support to their family members,” Gomez said. “We are planning a very significant event.”

At least 78 veterans — a third of the Soldiers’ Home’s resident population — died of the virus or related complications last spring. The crisis prompted a gutting of its top management and criminal charges against two of its former leaders, an emergency response from the state, the convening of a special legislative committee, and plans to build a new, $400 million facility by 2026.

John Paradis, an organizer for the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition — a grassroots network of families, veterans and advocates formed in the wake of the outbreak — lauded the sentiment behind the upcoming event.