MARBLEHEAD — While March is Women’s History Month, Veterans Agent Roseann Trionfi-Mazzuchelli is a living reminder that women are part of all history, especially women who are veterans or actively serving in the military.
Trionfi-Mazzuchelli served in the Army for 21 years, and she is the town’s first woman to hold the position of veterans agent.
“I love what I do. It’s a passion for me,” she said. “I know how I was treated when I came home, and I wasn’t (in the) Vietnam era. I was post-Vietnam, but I know how I was treated, and I don’t want other people to feel that way because it was awful.”
She said there were instances where the people who worked at Veterans Affairs mistook her for a family member or wife of a veteran rather than a veteran herself.
“We still get that today, and I’m like, this is 2025, people,” she said. “When are you going to get educated and stop that?”
Trionfi-Mazzuchelli emphasized that, as the Town’s veterans agent, she doesn’t just help veterans. She helps their families, too, and she hopes to connect with more female veterans down the line.
The sexism she faced after leaving the Army didn’t overshadow the fact that her Army experience also occasionally centered around “the good ol’ boys.”
“I had one young kid who came in — I’ll never forget this — and he’s like ‘So, are you going to make the coffee?’ I said, ‘You come with me,’ and he’s like, ‘Well, don’t you make the coffee?’ I said, ‘Because why?’ ‘Well, aren’t you the mom of the group?’ I said, ‘I can be, but I’m going to show you how to make coffee. Follow me,’” Trionfi-Mazzuchelli said.
She continued, “He goes, ‘Oh, I don’t really need to make coffee. My mother takes care of all that,’ and I grabbed him by his ear and said, ‘You’re going to come with me right now. You’re in charge of making coffee from here on in. You have to be there early and make sure it’s made by the time we all get in here.’ He was like, ‘Yes, Sarge.’”
When asked if she felt Marblehead as a whole appreciates the role that women have played and will continue to play in history, she said, “I believe Marblehead is recognizing and understanding more of the contributions that women made in the past and look forward to what the future holds of Marblehead’s young women.”
“There are more women fulfilling roles that belonged to our male counterparts, again, in roles that were predominantly men’s,” she added.
There have been some rumblings in Marblehead regarding the lack of inclusion of female veterans in the local memorials and physical remembrances. Trionfi-Mazzuchelli reflected on her attempt to include women in the veterans’ memorials when she worked in Winthrop also as the first female veterans agent.
“The guys in my legion, and they said this right to my face, said, ‘What do we need a women’s memorial for? We have plenty of memorials.’ I said, ‘Go look at one of the memorials and read what it says. In fact, don’t go. I’ll tell you what it says. It says it’s dedicated to all the men who served. Where do women come in?’” Trionfi-Mazzuchelli said.
She said the legion joked with her that women already have the right to vote, so what more could they want? She then praised East Boston for its dedication to “the men and women who served.”
“I am in favor of memorials honoring women, but I hope in the future we can honor women and men in the same manner, together, for the sacrifices they made so that future generations can live a better life,” Trionfi-Mazzuchelli said.
She emphasized that her current priority is ensuring this year’s Memorial Day celebration is one for the books — especially since it will be her first time planning the annual Memorial Day events for Marblehead — but she is interested in pushing to add some inclusivity to the Town’s veteran appreciation monuments after the end-of-May festivities.
“I think women, in general, have sat in the ‘back seat’ for far too long.” Trionfi-Mazzuchelli said. “I hope to be a positive role model for other women, especially younger women, to realize they can do great things in roles that were traditionally male-oriented.”
