HANSCOM AFB, Mass.– Hanscom Federal Credit Union has named WWII veteran Allison Blaney as its first Heroes Among Us honoree of 2019. Blaney was honored at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., where the Lowell Spinners won playing against the Tri-City ValleyCats. Blaney was able to meet with the players, throw the first pitch of the game, enjoy a summertime meal from Home Plate BBQ, and watch the Spinners play from a private suite with friends and family.
Blaney, 94, was nominated for the Hero Among Us program by Alix Belandria, Hanscom FCU’s Natick branch manager. Belandria said that during one of Blaney’s weekly visits to the branch, located at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center, he mentioned that he’d served as an Army medic during World War II. He parachuted with the 101stAirborne onto Utah Beach in France before dawn on June 6, 1944, hearing the whiz of bullets around him as he approached the beach. He then, with other medics, marched for three miles to a nearby chateau, where over the next six days he worked tirelessly as a surgical technician caring for wounded soldiers during the D-Day invasion. He later served in England, Holland, Belgium, and Germany during the war. Blaney was discharged from the Army in 1952, but re-enlisted for another 10 years before retiring in 1962, the credit union said.
“I was at a managers meeting this spring, “ said Belandria, “and when my boss told us about Heroes Among Us, I thought of Mr. Blaney. Someone has to recognize this man for his service and I recommended him with all my heart.”