SAUGUS — Paul Cancelliere has already fielded 53 calls in the short time he’s served as the town’s veterans service officer — a number that’s likely only grown since Cancelliere appeared before the Board of Selectmen Wednesday evening.
Cancelliere, a retired major, spent 25 years as an active-duty infantry officer in the U.S. Army. A resident of Wakefield, Cancelliere was hired by Melrose, which is part of the same veterans services district as Saugus, to serve the town following the departure of Michael Saunders, who spent roughly 15 months on the job.
While introducing himself to board members and residents, Cancelliere cited two “simple facts” about the military — noting that just 23% of students between the ages of 17 and 23 qualify to serve in the armed forces. Cancelliere attributed the relatively low percentage to medical conditions, poor academic records, or criminal histories. But, he said, many of those obstacles can be overcome by obtaining a waiver.
Cancelliere also told selectmen that a staggering 83% of active-duty “soldiers, sailors, and airmen” come from military families — an unsustainable pace for the nation’s armed services.
A member of the Saugus Veterans’ Council, Cancelliere said he was familiar with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts in town.
“I am honored to be here and to serve our veterans and their families,” he said. “I want to thank you for the honor to serve.”
Selectmen said they were looking forward to working with Cancelliere.
“I look forward to all the things you’ll do for the veterans of our town,” said Selectman Corinne Riley.
“I’m sure you’re going to be plenty busy,” added Selectman Jeff Cicolini, who dubbed Cancelliere a “much-needed resource.”
Steve Castinetti, the council’s commander, said Cancelliere was an “excellent choice” to represent the interests of the town’s roughly 1,200 veterans, given his military experience.
“He certainly understands what the military’s going through,” Castinetti said in a brief telephone interview Friday afternoon. “He’s an excellent addition to the Veterans’ Services Department.”
Castinetti said beyond the typical expectations of the veterans service officer role, he would like to see Cancelliere direct more of the town’s veterans to existing organizations like the council he commands, as well as the VFW, American Legion, and Disabled American Veterans groups in town.
“I’d love to see him… encourage people to give it a shot and see what we do,” Castinetti said. “It would be wonderful if he could do something in terms of building up those numbers.”
