Chelsea held its 2025 Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11 at Soldiers Hall, where city officials, school leaders and a Wounded Warrior Project keynote speaker highlighted local services and urged community support for veterans.

Francisco Toro, the city’s veterans agent and director of veteran services, opened the program and provided a confidential veterans hotline, saying, "for anybody who's watching at home, you can dial (617) 543-9545." He also announced a Thanksgiving drive offering full frozen turkeys and trimmings for veterans and military families who contact the office.

The ceremony included remarks from State Rep. Drew Garcia and a reading of the Commonwealth’s Veterans Day proclamation. "I’m proud to have led and passed the HERO Act," Garcia said, urging continued support for housing, employment and medical services for veterans. A proclamation from the governor’s office declared Nov. 11, 2025, Veterans Day and referenced the centennial commemoration of the 1918 armistice.

The program’s keynote—introduced in the program variously as Warren Valdez and Juan Valdez and identified with the Wounded Warrior Project—gave a personal account of combat injury, medical evacuation and a prolonged struggle with post-traumatic stress. He described being hit by a sniper round in Iraq, the resultant lung collapse and rib fractures, and the role of his platoon and quick reaction force in getting him to a battlefield hospital.

On returning to the United States, the keynote described long-term mental-health struggles and isolation before finding recovery through peer programs. "With the help from my QRF, I dodged despair," he said, urging audience members to "reach out to those that you love" and to act as a "quick reaction force" for veterans who may be struggling. He credited programs connected to the Wounded Warrior Project—including peer connection events, Soldier Ride and employment assistance—for providing community and tools to reintegrate.

Todd Taylor, vice president of the Chelsea City Council, and the city manager (named in the program as Pradak) thanked organizers and emphasized the city’s commitments. The city manager said the municipality maintains a veteran relief fund to assist veterans with emergency needs such as utilities, groceries and medical costs, and noted that the city adopted the state’s HERO Act measures quickly after they passed to expand local supports.

Students from Chelsea High School presented the symbolic missing man table and performed musical selections, and organizers presented the keynote with a Chelsea souvenir as a token of thanks. Organizers also thanked local media partner Chelsea Community Cable for recording and broadcasting the event.

The ceremony mixed formal recognition and personal testimony and concluded with military songs and an invitation for the community to remain engaged in veteran support efforts. The next procedural step mentioned by city officials was to encourage veterans to use local resources (the veterans office hotline and the city’s relief fund) and to consider participating in local boards and commissions.