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Pelham~Windham News


Windham Resident Thomas Iaci, U.S. Coast Guard,


Honored for Heroism


Pelham~Windham News Volume 8 Number 27 January 28, 2011 16 Pages


Windham Boy Partners with Marathon Runner


by Karen Plumley Liam Foley, 4, of Windham is a


U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Tomas Iaci


by Doug Robinson The press release from the U.S. Coast Guard simply stated, “U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Thomas Iaci, formerly of Windham, New Hampshire, and son of Linda (Oliveri) Balles and Joseph Iaci, received the Coast Guard Achievement Medal on Friday, January 7, 2011, for recognition of heroism. Displaying unwavering bravery and presence of mind in the face of danger, Boatswain Mate 3rd Class (BM3) Iaci disrupted a violent attempted murder in July 2010 by assisting in disarming the assailant of his weapon, thereby preventing further trauma to a gravely injured victim and subsequently saving the member’s life.” Iaci, a 2000 graduate from Salem High School, spent his school years playing basketball, baseball, soccer, and wrestling. Iaci joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2003. Known as “TJ” to his friends and the father of three children, he wanted “his son, Justin, to be proud of him,” stated mom, Linda Oliveri Balles.


TJ, in only eight years, has distinguished himself as a leader within the U.S. Coast Guard. His training and schooling have involved a Tactical boat crew member course, Maritime law enforcement, Coxswain C School, and Leadership and Management School. He has received Good Conduct awards in 2006 and 2009. “Professionalism, commitment, please to commend your performance, consistently demonstrated exceptional expertise and professionalism, outstanding dedication to duty, exceptional meritorious service in support of the 2009 Independence Day celebration on the Charles River [involving] more than 1,000 vessels in a confined area of less than one square mile,” are words written about Iaci from his commanding officers. “He has a history of saving


people,” commented his mother. “When he was 12, I remember him saving the lives of two kids who were stranded in a rubber dinghy as the tide was carrying them out to sea while sailing out of Gloucester Harbor. He lowered the motorized dinghy from our sailboat, attached a line, and towed the kids back to shore. He told me years later that event had a profound effect on him.” Little did U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Iaci know that he would be saving another


life 16 years later. When TJ and his friends


arrived in the shopping center parking lot, all they could hear were screams from a car nearby. “Semper Paratus,” which means “always ready,” is the motto of the U.S. Coast Guard.


“When we got there, he was holding his wounds, and he was bleeding to death. We are trained in first aid, so I took off my shirt and applied it against the wounds to stop the bleeding. Another ‘coastie’ grabbed a blanket and we wrapped him up. We ended up wrestling the assailant to the ground and I was able to get his arm around his back, twisting his thumb, so that he would not move. We held him until the police arrived.” According to the Lawrence


Eagle Tribune, Iaci said, “he and some of his comrades were off-duty and went to a parking lot at Fort DeRussy Beach Park. Suddenly, ‘from out of nowhere,’ a man started stabbing Seaman Jonathan Klingenberg in the face, neck, and left arm, he said. Klingenberg was behind the wheel of a car when the attack began, Iaci said. A Coast Guardsman who was in the back seat was able to grab the attacker’s arm, he said.” According to Iaci, the assailant continues to be held in jail without bail, charged with attempted murder. The assailant could be looking at 20-plus years in jail if convicted.


Iaci has served in the United States Coast Guard since 2003 and is currently stationed on board the Coast Guard Cutter KUKUI, a 225-foot Juniper Class Buoy Tender home-ported in Honolulu, HI. In addition to servicing aids to navigation throughout the Hawaiian Islands and Central Pacific Ocean, other duties performed by the crew include Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Marine Environmental Response, and Homeland Security missions. In speaking by phone with


Iaci’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander J. Malzone, U.S.C.G., commented, “He epitomizes service before self. The Coast Guard always preaches the giving of self, to act without thing for others. He is someone you would want as a shipmate. He has upstanding character. He put himself in danger, and it was just second nature to him and saved his shipmate.”


healthy, happy preschooler who loves playing soccer and doing crafts. But he was not always this way. A couple of weeks before he was born, an ultrasound showed that his left kidney was much larger than his right. Like any parents would, Amanda and Greg Foley began to worry. They were referred to Dr. Retik at the Urology department of Children’s Hospital Boston, and Liam was diagnosed with a common birth defect described as a duplex collecting system. During his development in utero, an extra partial kidney developed on the left side, with a second ureter (drainage pipe) that was not connected properly to the bladder (ectopic). Because of this, the top portion of his left kidney was not draining. At 5 months of age, Liam had to undergo a complicated surgery at Children’s Hospital, which lasted eight hours. At the end of the grueling procedure, Dr. Retik had good news for Liam and his family—they were able to implant the extra ureter and save his kidney. Ironically, Liam is now better off than the average person. Amanda explained that because Liam has an extra kidney, if he happens to lose one later in life he would still have two that are functioning. “Many years ago, they would not have been able to perform this type of surgery. We are so grateful to Children’s [Hospital] for their highly skilled and caring staff … Liam has never so much as had a UTI since!” she exclaimed. Now the Foley family has decided


to give back. Liam has partnered with a woman who will be running in the Boston Marathon this April in order to raise money for Children’s Hospital. Melrose, MA resident Christine Festa is a friend of Liam’s mom and a member of the Miles for Miracles marathon team. This group of runners has committed to raising critical funds to benefit Children’s Hospital Boston’s areas of greatest need, such as patient care, medical research, recruitment and training, and community health initiatives. Auntie Chrissy, as Liam calls her, has been running for a long time, but did not think she had it in her to do the full marathon until she realized she could


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Liam Foley, 4, of Windham was diagnosed at birth with hydronephrosis/duplex collecting system that interfered with his left kidney’s ability to drain. An eight-hour surgery at Children’s Hospital Boston when he was 5 months old saved his kidney. Liam is giving back by raising funds for the hospital


through the Boston Marathon’s Miles for Miracles team. Here, Liam is doing what he loves, crafting his “thank-you bookmarks” that will go to each person and/or family that donates to his worthy cause


push herself for such a good cause. Christine has several “patient partners” who will benefit from her fundraising efforts. When a young Children’s Hospital patient signs up to be a patient partner with a marathon runner, he can write to his partner like a pen pal would, and he can also raise his own funds for the marathon team if he wants to. Since his surgery, Liam has visited the hospital a few more times for issues with a hernia, ear tubes, and asthma, and each time the Foley family has had nothing but positive experiences. Even Liam has enjoyed his trips to the hospital. “I like the big, stuffed Curious George and the Nemo decorations,” he enthused in a phone interview. Four-year-old Liam also happily describes Dr. Retik as “really fun and silly.”


Amanda is not only pleased with the results of the surgery and follow-up visits, she is impressed with the way the hospital


treats their young patients. “They have child life specialists who really get to know their young patients; prepare the office for their visits with items that will be of interest to them. They even sit with babies and provide care when parents have to step out for a few minutes,” Amanda described. Liam and his family, as patient partners,


have opted to do some fundraising of their own with a monetary goal of $750. Christine must raise $3,250. But although the efforts are seemingly separate, together the resulting funds will end up in one place—at the hospital to help sick children in need. To learn more or to donate online, visit www. childrenshospital.org/bostonmarathon and search by the name of the patient partner (Liam Foley) or runner (Christine Festa). All folks who donate will get a very special, personal thank-you note from Liam.


Windham Actors Guild Presents Windham on Broadway


Te entire cast performs during songs from Fiddler on the Roof


by Doug Robinson The quality of a New York Broadway performance came to


Windham when the Windham Actors Guild (WAG) presented Windham on Broadway at Windham High School. Three nearly sold-out performances thrilled and entertained the audiences, as the cast of nearly 60 actors sang, danced, and performed such classic songs from the Broadway shows of Annie, Pippin, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Mame, Billy Elliot, Bye Bye Birdie, The Little Mermaid, and Monty Python’s Spamalot. “Windham Actors Guild is a non-profit, community-based theatre group. Membership is open to all people of all ages who live in Windham and nearby communities,” stated WAG founder John Hollinger. “We have a huge, dynamic cast, from Mrs. Windham, Mary Griffin, who sings and dances, to elementary school kids who sing their hearts out in the song Annie,” commented Windham on Broadway producer Michelle Joyce. “This variety show brings together the entire town of Windham, from young to old. We have bonded and we have become a family.” continued to page 6 - Broadway


Mrs. Windham, Mary Griffin, and Rebecca Antonakos tap-dance to “Tap Your Troubles Away” during one of the show’s performances


Groundhog Day is


Wednesday!


staff photos by Doug Robinson


photo courtesy of the Foley family


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