I am Ashley Liptak, I’m 38 years old and currently live in Chesapeake, Virginia. I was born and raised in Lawrenceville, Georgia. I lived there until 18, when I joined the US Army. I enlisted in August of 2003 as a Medic. After completing my Basic training and AIT, I was given orders to Fort Drum, NY, as my duty station. I was assigned to Charlie Company, 710 BSB, 3rd Brigade there. In March 2006, my Brigade was deployed to Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom. During my fifteen-month deployment, I supported my company and various other units as their medic during combat operations. My unit was redeployed to Fort Drum, New York, in June 2007. I remained on Active Duty until January 2009. I transitioned into my Reserve unit, 339th CSH in Pittsburgh, PA. I stayed with my Reserve unit until April of 2010 and completed my time in the service.

Regarding my personal life, I am a mother of two. I have a 14-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter. I have primarily stayed home with my children and raised them. This has included homeschooling them up until this current school year. My family travels extensively throughout the year. This is due to my son’s travel schedule with his hockey teams. This past fall, I decided to pursue finishing my degree in Occupational Therapy. I have attended college over the years but have never done so consistently. I hope to be able to complete my Master’s in Occupational Therapy finally.

Joined the military in 1980, boot camp - AIT – Jump School – Special Forces training. I graduated from Special Forces training as an 18E special operations communications operator. Deployed to Europe multiple times during operation Flint Lock. I spent time in Norway doing winter warfare training. When the Cold War ended, I was deployed to South America, doing multiple deployments to Suriname, Bolivia, and Ecuador, training with local military and police units. I deployed to Afghanistan in 2002 as part of Enduring Freedom. I retired in 2003 after 23 years with the 11th and 20th Special Forces as a Master Sergeant.

I spent the next 20 years running the collision center for Tulley Automotive Group in Nashua, NH. I assisted Tulley Collision in becoming certified with BMW, GM, Ford, and Mazda. Today, Tulley is a state-of-the-art collision center specializing in premium auto collision repair. I retired from Tulley in June 2024.

Married to my wife Jeanne for 34 years, she also is a military veteran doing 20 years and retiring as a Captain. I have a son, Evan, who is in IT and lives in NH, and a daughter, Erica, who graduated from Mass Maritime Academy and has worked as a firefighter and is in the military, also working with Massachusetts CBRN. She is married to Pat, who is also in the military and lives in the Netherlands.

After retirement, we sold our house in Hudson, NH, and moved to Florida.

I enjoy golfing, fishing, boating off-road, BMW motorcycling, and the outdoors, as well as my family.

My wife and I enjoy volunteering with the VFW and American Legion and working with veteran organizations to help make all veteran's life better.

Al Lizotte grew up in the Worcester, MA, area and graduated from Doherty High School. His educational background is in architecture, engineering and solar engineering. In 1988, Al founded a design and construction company specializing in high-end kitchen and bathroom renovation projects and home additions. Westborough Design Center, Inc., has become a family-run business and is a $4 million leading renovation firm in Central Massachusetts. Al holds a Massachusetts builders license, an MA Home Improvement Contractor’s license, and an MA Lead Abatement License.

For 12 years, Al owned and operated Adventures, Ltd, a hunting and fishing organization covering trips to British Columbia and Northern Canada, South Africa, Scotland, Montana, New Mexico, and Idaho. For some time now, Al has wanted to find a way to honor those who have served our country, and he wanted to do this by sharing his passion for trophy fishing. Al established Fishing With Warriors in 2016, a non-profit organization that sends Veterans on fishing trips to Costa Rica, Alaska, Cabos San Lucas, Belize, and Venice, Louisiana.

Al has been married to his wife, Judy, for 53 years. They have four children and six grandchildren. Al enjoys spending time in Florida during the cold Northeast winter months. He holds a pilot’s license and loves hunting, fishing, playing golf, and spending time with his grandchildren. Al was a sergeant in the Army National Guard 181st Combat Engineers from 1966 to 1972. Al’s been to Fairways for Freedom trip twice, having participated in the 2017 Northwest Ireland trip.

Divisional Sales VP (Fortune 500 Company)
Chief Financial Officer: Fishing With Warriors, Inc. 2015
Rank: Major, US ARMY
Dates of Service: 1966‐1982 (Active & Reserves)
US Army Special Forces (Abn)
XO SF Team A102, Vietnam (68-69), Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star (V), Purple Heart
Member: Special Forces Association, Military Order Purple Heart,
Disabled American Veterans, Combat Infantrymen's Association,
Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion

Dedicated to the Men and Women of the Armed Forces.

CEO — PLG Enterprises, Inc. Network Support and System Sales Company
38 Years Family Owned and Operated
CTO—Communications & Media Director: Fishing With Warriors, Inc. 2015
Dates of Service: 1968‐1970
Rank : Specialist E‐4, U.S. ARMY
7th ARMY Command Band ‐ Entertained Troops in areas that were too dangerous for the USO in Southeast ASIA
CBN (Chemical, Biological & Nuclear) NCO for Unit

Paul was drafted into the US ARMY in 1968 and attended Basic Training in Fort Gordon, GA. Once Basic was completed, Paul attended AIT and then Sniper Training. He joined the FT Gordon Base Band and served there until 1969, when he was assigned to the 7th ARMY Command Band based in Ft Shafter Oahu, Hawaii. They were deployed to Vietnam and Thailand several times from 1969 to 1970. The band was deployed to places that were too dangerous for the USO. While deployed, he was responsible for maintaining perimeter security for the unit.

He was assigned to be the CBR NCO at Ft. Shafter, Hawaii, and had to maintain inventory and safety equipment.

Once he separated from the ARMY, he attended CCNY, New York Institute of Technology, NYU, Bentley College, North Eastern University, and Harvard. He attained an Electrical Engineering Degree, a Mechanical Engineering Degree, a Software Engineering Degree, and advanced Studies at Harvard. He taught Graduate Software Engineering courses at Harvard and State of the Art at Northern.

He has run an IT Support Business in Westborough for the past 38 years after working in the computer business since 1966.

Paul was married to his wife for 50 years until he lost her in 2018; they have 2 sons, and 2 grandsons.

Dedicated to the Men and Women of the Armed Forces.

Rank: First Sergeant, US Army (Retired)
Dates of Service: 1988‐2009 (Active Duty)
Combat Medic

Deployments: Desert Storm, OEF, OIF

Member:
10^th Mountain Division Association,
Veterans of Foreign Wars,
American Legion

Dan Darroch is a Veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served as a Combat Medic. He retired after 21 years of active duty as First Sergeant from the 10th Mountain Division Light Infantry at Ft. Drum, NY. Dan has participated in multiple combat tours, including Afghanistan (OEF), Iraq (OIF), and Desert Storm. He received the Bronze Star for his actions in Afghanistan.

He works in Research & Development at the VA Hospital in Boston, MA. Dan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services and a Master’s in Management. Dan resides in Massachusetts with his wife, Yasmin, a schoolteacher. He has two daughters, Doria, who attends college in Rochester, NY, and Mia, who attends UMass Amherst.

Dedicated to the Men and Women of the Armed Forces

Coy Glenn Pemberton is a 20-year Army Veteran with 4 years active duty and over 16 in the Army Reserve, who continues to serve in the Army Reserve as a Drill Sergeant.

Coy has deployed to Kosovo and has been stationed in Europe twice.

As a Drill Sergeant, Coy has instructed Basic Trainees at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and Fort Jackson, SC. Coy has also been an instructor for multiple ROTC missions.

He has also held assignments as an Operations NCO and a Training NCO.

Coy holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling & Primary Care Psychology from The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP).

In his civilian career, he is a mental health counselor providing family therapy for under-served families across Southern Massachusetts.

While attaining his MA, Coy also participated in the “Train Vets to Treat Vets” program and has worked to improve engagement and treatment for Veterans struggling with mental health issues, such as PTSD.

Coy is currently developing his Private Mental Health Practice where he intends to provide therapeutic services for Veterans and First Responders in and around Greater Boston and areas South of Boston.

Coy is an avid outdoorsman and has completed 2 full marathons, a 50-mile charity cycle race, and has hiked over 1000 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

Coy is married to his beautiful wife, Christine, and they have an amazing 9-month-old son named Connor.

Dates of Service: 1990-2014 (US Navy 1990-94, VAARNG 1994-1995, Army Reserve 1995-1997, Army 1997-2014)

Eric began his military career shortly after graduating from Shrewsbury, MA High School in 1990. He joined the US Navy as an Operations Specialist and served his entire time in the Navy aboard the USS Yorktown CG-48. He received his Enlisted Surface Warfare Badge while serving aboard Yorktown and was deployed to Operation Desert Storm and Northern Watch.

Eric left the Navy in 1994 and joined the Virginia National Guard as a Military Police Officer. In 1995, he transferred to the US Army Reserves and was assigned as an MP to the US Navy Security Detachment in Keflavik, Iceland, until his return stateside in 1997. Shortly after returning to the US, he transferred to Active Duty in the Army as a Field Artillery Forward Observer. He was assigned to the 4th Infantry at Fort Carson, CO and the 2nd Infantry in Korea.

In 2000, Eric attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and the Army Rotary Transition Program at Fort Rucker, AL. He was then assigned as a pilot on the UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter to the 25th Infantry in Hawaii. From 2004 to 2005, he was deployed supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Upon returning from OEF, he was assigned as a Standardization Pilot to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA.

In 2008, Eric transitioned to fixed-wing aircraft and spent the remainder of his career flying the RC-12 and MC-12 King Air ISR aircraft at Fort Hood, TX. While at Fort Hood, he deployed to Balad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn against ISIS. He retired in 2014.

Eric has been married to Laura Metcalf since 1994 and they have 3 grown boys. Michael is in the US Navy, Nathan works for Envoy Airlines, and Matthew is in the USAF. Eric is a Captain for American Airlines and flies the A320 narrowbody passenger jet. Eric and Laura live in Lampasas, Texas.

Eric's awards include 4 MSM, 4 Air Medals, 6 ARCOM, 3 AAMs, and many other campaign and service medals. He has deployed to Afghanistan twice, Iraq five times, Qatar, and Korea.

Kevin Served as an 11C Mortarman and 11Z Senior Infantry Sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1993 until medically retired as a Master Sergeant in 2009 after being wounded in Afghanistan in 2007.

He served in HHC and Dco 3-5 Cav, Germany for three years, where he deployed to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Operation Joint Endeavor Bosnia, three years in HHC 5-20 Infantry, Fort Lewis, Washington with a deployment to Thailand for Operation Cobra Gold, three years as a recruiter in the Des Moines Recruiting Battalion with duty in Dubuque, Iowa as an on-production recruiter.

His last seven years were with B Co and HHC 3-325 Airborne Infantry Regiment and HHC 2-508 Parachute Infantry Regiment with deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 1/2, Operation Iraqi Freedom 2/3 and deployment to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom 7.

His awards include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Iraqi Service Medal, Afghanistan Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Airborne Badge, Ranger Tab, Jump Master, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Gold Recruiter Badge with 3 Sapphire Stars, and is a Sgt Audie Murphy Club Inductee.