New Bedford veteran Jim Gagnon named Southeastern Massachusetts Veteran of the Year
Gagnon served two tours in Vietnam from 1969 to 1973, then spent decades helping other veterans claim their benefits. The public is invited to the Nov. 5 reception and dinner at the Century House.
NEW BEDFORD Veterans Transition House has named James "Jim" R. Gagnon of New Bedford, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War who has spent decades helping other veterans claim their benefits, its 31st Southeastern Massachusetts Veteran of the Year. The New Bedford shelter and services organization announced the selection this week.
The award recognizes a local veteran's outstanding contribution to veterans, veterans' issues and the community. The reception and dinner honoring Gagnon is Thursday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. at the Century House, 107 S. Main St., Acushnet, sponsored by BankFive, and the public is invited. Tickets are $75, or $50 for veterans, with tables at $850 and commemorative program advertisements from $125 to $500, at vetshouse.org or from Christine Brown at 508-992-5313, extension 115.
Gagnon served in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1973 and completed two tours in the Vietnam War, with assignments in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean aboard the USS Kilauea, the USS Seattle and the USS Ranger. He attained the rank of petty officer third class as a fire control technician specializing in gunnery. His military honors include the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal with two campaign stars and the Navy Good Conduct Medal.
After completing training through National Service Officers in Boston and Providence, Gagnon began assisting veterans with benefits claims. He has served 13 years as a certified chapter service officer with the Disabled American Veterans and volunteers at the VA New Bedford Vet Center in Fairhaven, giving free help with the benefits process, and he has trained service officers from other DAV chapters. A DAV member for 35 years, he served seven as commander of New Bedford's Chapter 7 and is now its judge advocate; he has also been junior vice commander and district commander for southeastern Massachusetts. He is president of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 499 and is involved with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the Patriot Guard Riders.
"In selecting Jim Gagnon as the 31st Veteran of the Year, we honor his military service, his incredible volunteerism, and his example to all of us about service above self," Michael Nash, the organization's executive director, said in the announcement. Gagnon serves on the New Bedford Advisory Board and was grand marshal of the city's 2023 Memorial Day Parade. He also curates a YouTube travel channel highlighting veterans' sites and events, with more than 340,000 views.
His volunteer work reaches past the veterans' community. Beginning in 1987 he served 15 years as a Cubmaster, along with roles as an assistant Scoutmaster and Explorer leader, and as a unit commissioner for the Moby Dick Council he supported and trained adult Scout leaders, work that earned him the Bronze Pelican Award from the Catholic Committee on Scouting. A second-degree black belt in Kenpo karate, he taught children and adults who could not afford lessons. Alongside the volunteering he built a 40-year career at the Alberox Company, advancing from machinist to CNC programmer. He earned an associate degree from Bristol Community College in 1979 and continued his studies at UMass Dartmouth. He and his wife, Fernanda, married in 1979 and have five children and three grandchildren.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
How we verified this
Every fact in the story comes from Veterans Transition House's own announcement, republished in full by the Fall River Reporter on Oct. 21 (saved as vth-gagnon-frr.html), with the date, time, venue and sponsor independently confirmed on the organization's own reception page at vetshouse.org (saved as vth-reception.html). The recipient is an adult being publicly honored by the organization itself; no juvenile, no victim of sexual or domestic violence and no charged person appears. The five children and three grandchildren are not named. The Nash quote is verbatim from the announcement. The ticket prices and contact line are published for the public by the organization. No political claims appear. Checked for repeats: the sitemap read fresh Oct. 22 (sitemap-0518.xml) has no Veteran of the Year or Gagnon story.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (2)
- Veterans Transition House: Veteran of the Year Reception pageThe organization's own confirmation of the event: the 31st annual award, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, 5 p.m., Century House, 107 S. Main St., Acushnet, sponsored by BankFive. Saved as vth-reception.html. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- Also reported by: Fall River Reporter.