Kevin Calnan Installed as VFW Post 7272 Commander
VFW Commander Kevin Calnan conducts business from his office at the Post. “I know how to be an advocate… I can listen, connect with people… I want to keep as many people as possible happy.”
By David Dunbar
“I know how to be an advocate… I can listen, connect with people… I want to keep as many people as possible happy,” says Kevin Calnan, who was confirmed last month as the new Commander of VFW Post 7272 in Bellingham. “I have some big shoes to fill,” says Calnan in reference to his predecessor, Tom Lane, who passed away late last year. “It’s an honor to follow in his footsteps – it’s like he’s looking over my shoulder – and as Tom used to say, ‘Follow through, and follow up’.”
The VFW Post, established in 1966, is located at 940 South Main Street and opens Monday through Friday at 2 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. It will stay open on all days until 10 p.m. A full bar is available with prices that will make you smile. And if plans work out, bar patrons soon will be enjoying new, high-top, wooden stools, and tables.
“We want to continue our capital improvements,” explains Calnan. “We want to build on our community relationships and offer more scholarships and awards.”
Calnan has a message for vets: “Come on down! Stop by and join us for a beverage, a tour of our newly renovated meeting hall, or an event.” The Post has about 120 members and “we need an influx of new ones,” he says.
The 1,600 square foot hall has new flooring, new lighting, and a fresh coat of paint. The hope is to attract business meetings, family gatherings, wedding receptions, and other events.
If you stop by on a Monday evening, you’ll experience Cruise Night, which features 40 or so cool old cars; no charge for admission. If you have a car from decades ago that you’re proud of and want to display, bring it! Weekends offer featured entertainment with live singers. Other events include Steak Shoots and raffles. And there’s one hour of yoga on Wednesdays at 6 p.m.; the proceeds are shared to help local vets.
The VFW Auxiliary, made up of volunteers, “is vital to Post 7272, and we appreciate their efforts and all they do for vets and the community,” explains Calnan.
A recent Facebook post from the Auxiliary began with “wondering what we’ve been up to for the past few months?” It had provided $6,350 to eight charitable organizations including K9s For Warriors, Homes for Troops, Disabled Veteran Sporting Events, and Honor Flight. It continued: “We want to thank each and every one of you that supports the Bellingham VFW and our Auxiliary. We can do great things!”
Calnan is one of eight sons. His mother still lives in the home where he grew up in Cambridge. He and his wife of 39 years live in Bellingham and have three children of their own.
The new Commander graduated from Westfield State College and eventually went on to earn a masters degree in criminal justice. Calnan spent time in the U.S. Army, including duty overseas. In 1981, he joined the Boston Metro Police. Thirty-eight years later, he retired as a lieutenant from the Massachusetts State Police.
Over those years, he was a team leader, worked in underwater operations, was a union rep and oversaw the State Police barracks in Milton, Framingham, and Government Center in Boston.
In retirement, Calnan is deeply involved with a charitable foundation that helps families who have children with cancer. “We’ve dispensed $5 million to families,” he says, “often in $5,000 increments.” The foundation is “Cops for Kids with Cancer.”
“At the VFW post, our mission is to serve vets,” says Calnan. In addition to just dropping by anytime, vets are welcome to attend monthly meetings on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. There’s more information on the post’s Facebook page and on its website: https://vfw7272.org where you can sign up to receive text messages about upcoming events. And you can call the post at (508) 883-9538.
