Yesterday’s Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium featured the release of Community and Country: Greater Lowell Veterans Council, 1919-2019. Co-authored by former Veterans Council commander Bob Casper and me, the book tells the story in text and photos of the many organizations that are or have been members of the Council during its first 100 years of existence (see roster of organizations at the end of this post).

The book also features detailed descriptions of the many monuments on the grounds of the Lowell Memorial Auditorium and the many veterans-related artifacts on display within that building’s Hall of Flags (including an explanation of the 43 flags that hang from that room’s ceiling).

Community and Country is published by Loom Press and sells for $15 on the Loom Press website. It will make a fine gift for area veterans or for anyone interested in Lowell history.

Organizations covered in Community and Country

Current member organizations (2019)

• American Legion Post 87 Lowell
• American Legion Post 212 Chelmsford
• American Legion Post 221 Bedford
• American Legion Post 247 Tyngsborough
• American Legion Post 259 Tewksbury
• American Legion Post 313 North Chelmsford
• American Legion Post 315 Dracut
• Armenian American Veterans of Lowell
• Disabled American Veterans Chapter 25 Lowell
• Disabled American Veterans Chapter 47 Billerica
• Franco-American War Veterans Post 4
• Greater Lowell Korean War Veterans
• Greek American Legion Post 1
• Heart of the Traveling Soldier
• Jewish War Veterans Post 28
• Merrimack Valley Vietnam Veterans
• Mission Continues Lowell 1^st Service Platoon
• Nam Knights of America Motorcycle Club Merrimack Valley
• Polish-American Veterans of Lowell
• Portuguese-American Veterans of Lowell
• United States Submarine Veterans
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 662 Lowell
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9307 Dracut

Past member organizations

• AMVETS
• Army & Navy Union USA
• Global War Veterans
• Grand Army of the Republic
• Irish-American Veterans of Lowell
• Military Order of the Purple Heart
• Patton Memorial Society
• Pearl Harbor Survivors Association
• Retired Armed Forces Association
• South Pacific Buddies
• United Spanish War Veterans
• Veterans of St. Louis Parish
• Veterans of World War I

Associated Organizations (2019)

• Gold Star Mother & Gold Star Wives of America
• Lowell Veterans Commission
• National League of POW/MIA Families
• Greater Lowell Veterans Council Volunteer Corps
• Lowell High School Air Force Junior ROTC
• UMass Lowell Air Force ROTC

Associated Organizations (inactive)

• Daughters of the American Revolution
• Lowell High School Girl Officers
• Lowell High School Regiment
• Sons of Union Veterans