01/03/2008

News / The Times Record

WEST BATH — Shipmate Thomas E. Elliott Jr., of West Bath, was honored earlier this month as the 2007 National Shipmate of the Year for the Hospitals, Welfare and Rehabilitation Committee of the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), a nonprofit organization representing current and former enlisted members of the Sea Service community including the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

Elliott, a disabled veteran of the U.S. Navy, was wounded in combat during the Vietnam War, said New England Regional President William J. Waite of the Pinetree Branch 156 of the FRA.

After 20 years, Elliott continues to drive other veterans to the Togus VA Medical Center three or four times a week, Waite said.

Elliott was also named the 2007 Male Volunteer of the Year by the National Advisory Committee of the VA Volunteer Service. In 2006, Gov. John Baldacci named him the Maine Volunteer of the Year.

In addition to advocacy work in Washington, D.C., supporting Sea Service personnel, the FRA works to assist members with career issues by maintaing relationships with government agencies, and by educating lawmakers about challenges faced by those serving in the armed forces.