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11/04/2022 01:38 PM“Thank you for your service.”
When someone says that to Jack Dougherty, corporal, USMC Retired, he lets them know he appreciates it. But Jack says the words of another military veteran are even more apt.
“There is one recent Medal of Honor recipient, and when someone says, ‘Thank you for your service,’ he just looks them in the eye and says, ‘You were worth it.’ Wow.”
Jack, a Vietnam War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, holds the distinction of being Connecticut’s first National Marine Corps League's (MCL) Marine of the Year (2009) -- and still the state’s only, to date. On Sunday, Nov. 6, Jack will be honored as Branford’s 2022 Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshal and ceremonies keynote speaker.
Ceremonies begin at 1 p.m. on the Branford green, followed by the parade stepping off at 1:30 p.m.
Currently, Jack is vice commander and judge advocate for Branford’s Corcoran-Sundquist Post #83 American Legion. He also holds life memberships in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, and MCL. Within MCL, Jack has held every elected and appointed position at both the department and detachment levels.
Jack says Veterans Day is an important veteran holiday, not a day to find shopping bargains.
“What doesn’t set well me, and others have said it, too, is the fact that it’s a day for sales for linens and all kinds of other stuff. No, that’s not what the day’s for at all,” says Jack. “It’s ironic that even some veterans don’t actually know what Veterans Day is all about and the difference between that and Memorial Day. They’re two veteran holidays, but they’re for entirely different reasons. Memorial Day is for those that have passed – those that have fought and fallen. Veterans Day is for those that served and are still here to talk about it.”
On Sunday, Nov. 6, Jack says he’ll share sentiments drafted by another military veteran, entitled, “To Understand a Military Veteran, You Must Know...”
“It’s a series of phrases [such as], ‘We said goodbye to friends and family and everything we knew,’” says Jack. “I would expect people that don’t know anyone in the military would come away knowing more; and those that are already in the military that are veterans would nod up and down and smile a bit.”
Jack, a New Jersey native, enlisted in the Marines in 1966, during a break from earning his engineering degree in college, where he was in the Air Force ROTC. At Parris Island, SC, Jack won Dress Blues/Honor Man (awarded to a platoon's top member) and was promoted to private first class. As an infantry rifleman, he trained at Camp Pendleton, CA, with Bravo Company of the storied 28th Marines, Fifth Division. When Jack was sent to Vietnam, he was immediately assigned third squad leader, First Platoon, Lima Company (Third Division). Fifteen days later, on June 15, 1968, Jack's company was attacked during a night raid in the Quang Tri province. He was one of 70 wounded in action. His commanding officer and 15 others were killed.
Jack was shot in the left hand by a close-range round, nearly severing his thumb. Eight months of reconstructive surgeries were followed by many more months of physical therapy. Jack received the Purple Heart and was designated corporal, USMC Retired.
Jack went on to earn his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (New Jersey Institute of Technology), followed by an MBA (University of New Haven). He retired from his profession in 2019.
A former Milford resident, Jack was recently honored as 2021 Milford Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshal. He’s lived in Branford for 26 years with his wife, Jane. Their family has five children and five grandchildren.
Being Member and Not a Name on a List
When his kids were young, Jack was a busy scouting volunteer.
Asking himself, “...if you’re going to be a member, are you going to be a member as a name on a list?,” Jack strives to give his all as a volunteer.
“With the children, I got involved with scouting, [and] when scouting subsided, a veteran from Branford said, ‘You know, you ought to go to the Marine Corps League.’ So, I went to my first meeting, and it just took off from there.”
Jack signed on in 2004. He went on to become MCL Housatonic Detachments’ first Marine of the Year (2006), Department of CT Marine of the Year (2008), and the first Ronald G. Knapp award recipient at the league’s division level. In 2009, Jack was named National Marine of the Year and was inducted into the CT Veterans Hall of Fame. Jack was also the first MCL member to receive the CT Hall of Fame honor.
While he’s still very involved with MCL, Jack’s stepped down from leadership roles now handled by those he and other past commandants have helped mentor. And that’s the way it should be, Jack says.
“I’ve held all their positions, and I’ve coached people that were somewhat hesitant about stepping up to be the commandant that runs the detachment. People are little shy and some are reluctant, big time. Everyone has different levels of education and different abilities to speak in front of a crowd. I just say to them me and the other commandants, we are still here, we aren’t going anywhere. We’re here to coach you through it. We’re going to support you, 100 percent.”
More recently, Jack felt the time was finally right to lend his full support to American Legion Post 83.
“Ironically, I’ve lived in Branford 26 years roughly, and I would drive right by Post 83. I would attend their events, not as a member, but as a dutiful citizen in support; because I was basically involved in so many other things. Finally, when I took a back seat in some of the other organizations, I thought, ‘I really need to stop by and see these guys at Post 83. It’s time for me to step up.’”
One of Jack’s first contributions was helping revise and update bylaws.
“I’m a person that revises bylaws in other organizations. I’m convinced that knowledge is power. You have to know what the facts are,” Jack says. “So myself and team of two to three existing members revised the bylaws, and that’s how I got involved with Post 83. And I’m more and more involved with them now.”
Jack’s also involved with his church, Trinity Episcopal of Branford, including nearly 20 years as a lector. He’s also is a tenor in the church choir. Jack’s also served as lector at other churches.
He notes Jane’s been Trinity Episcopal’s administrative assistant for the past 35 years, and that she’s also been very involved in volunteer efforts. In early 2022, after many years, Jane stepped down as CT Coordinator of Quilts of Valor (QOV) Foundation. An incredibly talented quilter, Jane’s still assisting QOV and providing mentorship.
Both husband and wife have become pretty adept at public speaking through their volunteer roles, Jack adds.
“The key to speaking in public is knowing your subject; like my wife does. When she gets up to do a presentation, basically no one can do it like she does.”
Jack’s public speaking advice is something he’s shared with those he’s mentored for MCL leadership: “...it’s just a matter of doing your homework.”
“You don't have to make all this stuff up. Even the American Legion has speeches online for different events. So pick one up, polish it off and read it a couple dozen times so it sounds like you, and go for it. It makes it easy. I’m doing what I can to make it easy for those stepping up.”