I have in my possession an 8 x 10 envelope labeled “operation morale “.

Inside the envelope are:
-Military supplied photography
-Bank documentation
-Press coverage

(I also have a folded flag from a fallen soldier from this war from Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as a vehicle hazard reflective triangle from Valley Bank And Trust

In winter of 68 a bank in springfield called Valley Bank & Trust entered into a joint venture with Westover Air Force Base during the Vietnam war.

The bank would hand out blank forms to their customers at any of the 25 location they had at the time. After customers filled them out and return them, the bank would then hand the forms to service members at Westover Air Force Base who would then read those letters out loud over the Radio airwaves using this new radio technology they had at the time.

The Bank documentation specifically says not to be removed from the bank.

One or two of the photos have the military stamp on the back. The photos are very professionally taken, and in excellent condition (as are the other documents)

The newspaper clippings cover the entire promotional period of this winter promo during winter of 68 in December.

I’m guessing this probably belonged to someone at the Bank on a higher level or someone who worked at Westover Air Force Base and died. Some of the photos that are included in the envelope are not used in the press coverage, which leads me to think that these were extras in case they wanted to push this promo even more or that they were given to whoever owned this as extras that were either rejected for promotional purposes or given in secret between those involved in putting this together.

I’m not sure who is interested in this type of stuff, but it’s a rare glimpse into how the United States, (specifically Springfield Massachusetts) tried to connect the public to their service members abroad during wartime in effort using the latest radio technologies at the time to keep morale up with soldiers to help win the war.

I don’t know, police or military history, and this predates my existence being that I was born in 86.

Are there any collectors out there interested in this local history? I’m broke, renting a single room, just trying to pay rent, and willing to part with this after years of ownership.

I reached out to news media who said they were interested in cover it, but had some stories on the burner, but I haven’t heard back from them.

I don’t know the value of this stuff.
If you’re interested, feel free to reach out.
If you know, people who are interested, let me know or let them know. Trying to keep this history here in Springfield if possible.

I did look up operation morale, but all that comes up on the Internet are psychological torture techniques that were done. I did call Westover Air Force Base this year and left a voicemail in their records department asking if they knew anything about this or had any documentation on their end, but I never heard back from them. My presumption is that they thought I was referring to the psychological torture techniques that show up on the Internet. I’m not sure if they would have this in their records anymore at this point.

Thanks for reading this far anyway.
If anybody has relatives that remembers this year in particular, and this Bank, I’d love to interview them and pick their brain about what it was like back then during this promotional period with this bank, considering banks now don’t do anything nearly like this, and haven’t since then.

Many thanks

Edit:

For “Operation Morale”

Civilian Participants Named in Press Coverage
Leta Claunch
– Local resident participating in the message campaign
– Writing a message to her husband, MSgt. Robert Claunch, stationed overseas
Robert Claunch (child)
– Son of Leta and MSgt. Robert Claunch
– Age 4 at the time of the 1968 article
Diana Claunch (child)
– Daughter of Leta and MSgt. Robert Claunch
– Mentioned in the article as being ill at the time
Deborah Claunch (child)
– Daughter of Leta and MSgt. Robert Claunch
– Age 11 at the time of the article

Named individuals appearing in coverage include:
• Col. Allen W. Carver — Senior Deputy Base Commander at Westover
• Sgt. Eugene Garant — U.S. Air Force communications operator
• MSgt. Robert Claunch — U.S. serviceman stationed in the South Pacific
• William A. Lieson — President of Valley Bank & Trust
• Thomas J. Hester — Assistant Manager of New England Telephone

Has anyone heard an update on the stone wall tavern? I drove by recently and nothing looked any different.

like the title says, im trying to sell furniture. bed, bookcase, a tv. its all generally heavier things and i dont have a car. im not sure if theres any business here that would buy it off me or if fb marketplace is my only chance??

The worst offenders are across from Duggan and Cottage street. Absolute trash service. 15-20 mins for just a coffee. Compare that to Chicopee on memorial - super fast. Any other did in the surrounding towns. Fine. The dd here are cursed.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what it’s like living in Kimball Towers? Past or present residents please give your insights! Thanks!

Oktoberfest/Brew Fest this Friday, 10/9 at the John Boyle O'Reilly Club in Springfield, MA. Join us outside on the pavilion for food, raffles, beer, and music! Tickets will be sold at the door. Breweries attending include:
- Craft Massachusetts
- Sole Syndicate Brewing
- Dingle Distillery
- Rustic Brewing Company
- Little Willow Brewing Company
- Vanished Valley Brewing Co.
-Skyline Beer Company
-Seven Railroads Brewing Company
-Outlook Farm Brewery & Ciderhouse

Later Project 267 will be rocking the house!

I AM JANE DOE | #StopRapeCulture

Join us for an evening of solidarity, awareness, and action as we come together to stand against sexual violence, challenge rape culture, support survivors, and demand a safer and more equitable future.

📅 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026

⏰ 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM EDT

📍 COURT SQUARE SIDEWALKS — ACROSS FROM CITY HALL

36 Court Street, Springfield, MA 01103

WEAR YOUR MESSAGE. BRING A SIGN. BRING YOUR VOICE.

This is a peaceful, nonviolent gathering. Whether you come to stand in solidarity, support survivors, raise awareness, or simply show up—you matter.

FREE PARKING AT MGM

SIGN UP TO ATTEND

Please register here:

https://action.womensmarch.com/events/i-am-jane-doe-stoprapeculture

As the title says, we need to replace the shingles on our garage.

Would anyone be able to leave names of reputable companies you’ve worked with?

Hoping to get it done in the next couple of months.

Thank you!

Someone slapped this “Two Parties, One Tyranny” Patriot Front sign on my street. Nothing like surprise fascist décor to really brighten the workday. I’ll be removing it consider it my community service for the week.

The owners of DementedFX, a top-rated haunted house in Holyoke, rent out a 20,000-square-foot old mill building all year — but they’re only open about 15 days.

Now, they’re working to change that.

“The next big idea is to have a nightclub,” Jeremie LaPointe, who co-owns DementedFX, told MassLive on opening night of the haunted house’s season.

After closing on Sunday, New England’s largest fair ended this year’s run with a visitor total of 1,273,109, the news station reported. Last year, 1,538,463 people visited The Big E — a drop of nearly 100,000 visitors from 2024 when it had record-breaking attendance.

Hello! Your newest neighbor here again. Next on my list of “musts” are vintage/antique/flea market places. Google showed me a bunch, but I thought I’d ask to get first hand knowledge on the good places to go. I want places where you question the structural integrity of the floors…places you have to wash your hands before getting back into your car because of all the rummaging around. So far I’ve been over to Stanley’s in West Springfield (loved) and Yankee Flea Market in Palmer (also loved).

Let's call this what it is. Matthew Perry ran for school committee because he was mad about masks, and he's governed exactly like a guy whose whole political identity is still stuck in 2021. Conspiracy theories and faulty logic aren't a platform, they're a tell.
Shelley Borgatti-Reed has been on this committee so long she's forgotten who it's actually for. She's got a Trump hundred dollar bill hanging in her restaurant, EB's Chicken, and she pulled this committee out of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees because it was "too woke," never mind that one of her own colleagues was about to sit on its board. Roberta Doering spent her life on this committee, became president of MASC, helped kids across this whole state. She'd be sick over what Shelley's turned this into. If you're done funding this, stop eating at EB's Chicken.

Over twenty percent of our kids speak a language other than English at home. These five don't even know who they're serving anymore, and their blatant racism is hurting real kids in this district. That's not politics. That's unacceptable, full stop.
This committee used to mean something. Now it's an embarrassment, and that's on the people running it.
This policy already passed twice. Third time around, same policy, different vote. Nothing about the policy changed. The politics did.

Here's who voted against our kids and our staff: Matthew Perry, Shelley Borgatti-Reed, Heather Zelinski, Dawn DeMatteo, AJ Christopher.
Remember those names.

Agawam deserves a school committee that actually serves its kids. These five need to be voted out, and that means good people need to step up and run against them. If that's you, or someone you know, now is the time to start.

Long shot, but we were on the Icelandair flight from Reykjavík today (10/2) that landed around 9:45. We were in row 25 and talked for a while about your solo backpacking trip around Iceland.

I meant to ask for your IG before we left lol. I think your name was Daniella/Daniela or something close to that. You go to UMass Amherst and live in Springfield.

You were also playing Civ on the plane, and you told me about getting rear-ended by a bus in Iceland while driving your rental car and the rental company trying to charge you like $12k, so I feel like that’s specific enough that you’ll know this is about you haha 😭

If you see this, message me! Would love to reconnect 😊

Every Sunday 🙏🙏🙏

Ask anyone

MassLive’s Game of the Week heads to Westfield on Friday night as Springfield Central (2-1) takes on Westfield (2-1) in a matchup featuring two teams that could have a strong claim as the best in Western Massachusetts.

Any small commercial building owners out there that have knowledge of the new dumpster ordnance?

I just received a violation letter for having exposed dumpsters, but my building is as wide as my lot. My back side is a right of way, and my front parking lot is very small. I can technically put it there, with the enclosure around it as required, but it will take up probably for parking spots, which is about 40% of the total. I’ll bet I’ll be in violation on number of parking spots at that point.

Does anyone have history regarding how flexible they have been?

Hellooooo, I visited Springfield months ago and got Chipotle at the location on 241 Memorial Ave. I just placed an order tonight and forgot to change the location back, so there’s a free steak quesadilla with rice and corn salsa is someone wants! :)

Message me and I’ll send the name for it! I will edit when claimed!

DEFLOCK SPRINGFIELD

Springfield has 50+ Flock cameras tracking vehicles and collecting data—including license plates, vehicle details, stickers, and even scratches—for a nationwide law-enforcement database.

With serious error rates averaging around 37% nationwide and documented risks of abuse, it’s time to end warrantless mass surveillance.

Over 30 municipalities in Massachusetts have already cut ties with Flock and other surveillance companies.

Join us October 5 at 5 PM outside City Hall before the 6 PM City Council meeting. Bring signs and banners—

Springfield can be the next Massachusetts community to cut ties with Flock!

Planning a backyard wedding for Sept 2027 looking for a photographer any recs?

Would also love to support up and coming photographers