State Rep. Donald Wong was moved to tears when veteran groups from the 9th Essex District surprised him last month with the honorary Veterans’ Champion Award, in recognition of his service, advocacy and support for the veteran community over his 15 years in public office.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Veterans Council, Disabled American Veterans and American Legion jointly sponsored the award, representing the veterans of Saugus, Lynn and Wakefield. They packed into the VFW Post 2346 on Sept. 19 to celebrate Wong.
“There wasn’t anything Donald wouldn’t do for us,” said John Macauda, commander of the Saugus chapter of the American Legion Post 210. “That includes every veteran organization in town.”
A Saugus Republican who is not a veteran himself, 74-year-old Wong has worked to pass several pieces of legislation in the Massachusetts State House to support the veteran community in Saugus, from a law allowing taxpayers to donate to a relief fund supporting veterans to securing funding for the American Legion through the state budget. According to the United States Census Bureau, veterans make up around 5% of the town’s population, a higher number than the roughly 4% who are veterans across Essex County and Massachusetts.
Before getting elected to the State House in 2011, Wong served as chairman of the Saugus Board of Selectmen. His family has been in Saugus for generations and owns Kowloon Restaurant, a Saugus landmark.
Wong thought he was attending a celebration for a different member of the community, until emcee Steve Castinetti, commander of the Saugus Veterans Council, gave a speech revealing the surprise. “It’s unbelievable,” said Wong in response. “I didn’t expect it.”
“There’s an old saying that says a nation should never forget those who are willing to give everything for it,” said Castinetti. “Well, tonight we want you to know that we haven’t forgotten you either.”
Castinetti told the crowd how Wong changed legislation to allow a Gold Star family to keep a commemorative license plate on a commercial vehicle the family owned. Previously, gold star plates could not be used on commercial vehicles, but Wong sponsored an amendment allowing the practice. The amendment was part of the larger BRAVE act for veterans, passed in 2018.
“That wasn’t just a bill,” said Castinetti. “Those plates represented a son who never came home.”
Wong was presented with two additional citations — from the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services, or EOVS — honoring his commitment to veterans. Rep. Bradley Jones Jr., who presented Wong with the citation from the House at the September event, said he was a “staunch” advocate for the veteran community. “I have a POW/MIA chair outside my office, in no small part thanks to Donald’s effort to make sure it’s there,” Jones said.
The empty chair signifies service members who have not returned home from war. There is one in the U.S. Capitol, but Jones made history in Massachusetts for being the “First one in the State House,” he said.
Jones also spoke of the upcoming election cycle, in which Wong is running for reelection against Democrat Peter Meaney. Jones implored the audience to keep Wong in office so he can continue to “fight” for the veteran community.
Dr. Andrea Gayle-Bennett, deputy secretary for the EOVS, presented Wong with the citation from that group, which oversees programs and services to support veterans statewide. Gayle-Bennett has been a Lynn resident since 1981 and attends church in Saugus. She recalled a time when she asked Wong for help getting a certificate honoring a military pastor at her church. She figured Wong would just send over the paperwork.
“But no, he came [to the church], he stayed for the service, he read the certificate, so he’s just so supportive, and he’s really, truly someone who cares,” Gayle-Bennett said.
Wong spent the evening moving from table to table, chatting with friends, family and community members who have been personally impacted by his actions.
When asked about his dedication to the veteran community, Wong said that it’s important to celebrate veterans, not just in Saugus, but across the nation. They “were willing to sign on the dotted line that they would give their life for our freedom,” he said. “And some of them have given their lives.”