Reading, MA — State Representatives Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn) and Joseph W. McGonagle Jr. (D-Everett) are pictured with Robin Abbott of Woburn. Ms. Abbot’s son, Specialist Jason J. Welch of Everett, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Fidelity at a ceremony at the Massachusetts State House on May 23, 2023.
The Medal of Fidelity is rewarded to the next of kin of a service member or veteran who died as the result of a service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition resulting from a service-connected brain injury, or a service-connected disease, condition, or injury related to the exposure to harmful toxins, herbicides, agents or materials, where the exposure occurred while serving in the armed forces of the United States, active or reserve components, or the Massachusetts National Guard.
