Ronan Appointed Winthrop Veterans Services Officer

Town Manager Tony Marino has appointed lifelong Winthrop resident Phil Ronan as the new town veterans services officer.

Ronan, 63, was officially introduced at the Town Council meeting Tuesday night. He succeeds Roseann Trionfi-Mazzuchelli as veterans service officer.

Marino said Ronan was selected from a field of three candidates, each of whom was interviewed for the position.

“Phil definitely stood out,” said Marino. “His exuberance for the position, devotion to the veterans, and the great ideas he proposed for outreaching and connecting with the veterans – he was definitely the leading candidate, and we were very impressed by him, so I was happy to make the appointment. Phil has big shoes to fill, but I think he is up to the task, and he’s going to do a great job for the veterans in town.”

Letterie Also Praises Appointment

Town Council President James Letterie also lauded the appointment of Ronan.

“Phil is a lifelong Winthrop resident, and we think he’s a tremendous asset to our town,” said Letterie. “We know he will fight like no other in terms of helping our veterans. We’re very happy about his appointment.”

Service in the U.S. Army

Phil Ronan graduated from Winthrop High School in 1976. He entered the United States Army in October of that year.

After completing his basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, Ronan went on to advanced individual training as a helicopter mechanic at Fort Eustis, Virginia. He spent 18 months at Camp Casey in South Korea with the G 702nd Maintenance Battalion, Second Infantry Division.

Ronan then went on to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, where he served with the 2nd Squadron, 9th Air Cavalry, 24th Infantry Division.

Ronan exited the service on his 22nd birthday, October 18, 1980.

He attended Wentworth Institute of Technology and worked for Butler Aviation for a few years. He worked in the United Postal Service for 25 years, retiring in 2009.

He later worked at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center for a few years before retiring last week from Boston University where he was a facilities operations manager.

‘To the Best of my Ability’

Ronan will be providing services for the town’s 180 veterans.

He said his goal as the town’s veterans services officer will be “to try to ensure that all of our veterans’ needs are served to the best of my ability.”

“I promise to give the same effort that I’ve given in all my previous endeavors,” concluded Ronan.

The veterans services office is located at the E.B. Newton School Building.