Joe Bella of Methuen
Sgt. James F.
Moore USAF
 There are
many reasons that Joseph G. Bella of
Methuen, is this month’s Valley
Patriot. He is a Vietnam Veteran, an
advocate of Veteran’s advancement,
and a history buff.
According to the Vietnam service report
of Corporal Joseph Bella:
‘Corporal Joseph Bella served in
Vietnam from 1966 to 1967, originally
stationed at Dong Ha near the DMZ, with
the 1st Battalion, 40th Artillery. He was
transferred six months in country to the
3rd Battalion, 6th Artillery at Pleiku.
The 1st Battalion, 40th Artillery was one
of the first mobile artillery units
assigned to Vietnam. Joe was with them
when they arrived.
While at Dong Ha with the 1st Bat-talion,
40th Artillery, Joe’s unit took part
in a support action that pinned the Viet
Cong down for 14 hours so that a trapped
Marine Recon Platoon could escape.’
The man that has an affinity for History
itself has also contributed to ideals
that make our nation Great! Joe’s is
single and happy. He is also glad that he
has more time to devote to his hobbies,
since he’s retired and enjoying what
he’s doing and doing what he loves
to do.
Today, his tireless public service
continues, even on Labor Day, as his
schedule was chock-full of places togo
and people to see. Bella, originally from
Lawrence, was born in 1946 to Alfred and
Connie Bella. He has only one sibling, a
sister, Angela.
 He was drafted into the
United States Army on November 30, 1965
and at age 19, young and green, had never
spent more than a week out of the New
England area until he went to Basic
Military Training at Fort Dix, NJ to
begin his service in the Army.
He was then sent to Vietnam after Basic
Military Training and training for his
primary MOS in Field Artillery. His
military service spanned almost 2 years,
but he’s been serving his country in
many other ways since September 1967,
when he returned to Methuen.
Returning to Methuen from Vietnam, he
says he came back a completely different
person. “I was changed for the
better,” He said, “The training
I received was a healthy experience.”
Bella was transformed from the young man
of little experience to a marketable and
able adult. He immediately took advantage
of his Veteran’s status to enter the
civilian workforce enabling him to land a
job at Craig Systems in North Andover,
MA, a company that specializes in the
manufacturing of tankers, fuel oil
trucks, fire trucks, buses, and
containment shelters.
After about four years of employment
there, he spent three years working for
the Internal Revenue Service as a
batching clerk. Afterward, he moved on to
Western Electric out of North Andover and
worked as a Reproduction Room Clerk and
Stock Inventory Clerk for about seven
years.
He then was hired and served as a Local
Veteran’s Employment Representative,
through the Division of Employment and
Training (DET). His position was to
assist Veterans and to provide counsel
for Veterans seeking employment and
training. His professionalism and
dedication to assisting Veterans was
noticed by the American Legion, and as
the result of his efforts Joe became a
two time winner of the American Legion
Local Veteran’s Employment
Representative of the Year award. This
award is given to the individual that had
placed the highest number of Veterans
back in the workforce in the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
Bella served from 1975-2002 as a
counselor and is now enjoying his
retire-ment. He attended Northern Essex
Com-munity College and obtained his
Associ-ate’s Degree in Liberal Arts
with a Major in History, making the Dean’s
list twice.
Today, Bella is a man of many hats in the
community. To name only a few, he served
on the Immigrant City Archives as both
President and Vice President; a board
member of the Methuen Historical Society,
serving as Vice President, and President;
as Commissioner of the Methuen Historic
Commission; and as president of the
Friends of Lawrence Heritage State Park.
Joe’s collection of historical items
can be seen and are often on display at
the Heritage Park in Lawrence.
“I feel good about explaining
stories of the past and it excites me to
share them with others and I’m proud
of this…it’s a rewarding
experience,” he says. Also,
noteworthy is that some of Bella’s
photos have been used in local historical
books.
Joe considers himself an “average
Joe, no pun intended” he says. His
awards with the American Legion are well
deserved and you can sense this with his
soft-spoken tone “Veterans (serving)
are the most important part of our
country’s survival and we should try
to honor them 24 – 7.”
Besides being a history aficionado of
sorts, Bella’s labor of love is that
of collecting newspapers, posters, post
cards, and memorabilia – both old
and new- of Lawrence, Methuen and
American history in general. His love of
photography allows him to immortalize
those men and remind us of the mortality
of the times and the risks they have
taken to protect our way of life.
 These historical mementos he
collects reminds us of how our servicemen
have paid the ultimate price for our
freedom during the Civil War. Also known
as the War Between the States, it is
credited as the catalyst of social,
political, economic and racial issues
that continue to shape and reshape
contemporary American thought.
Joe Bella is currently preparing to
commemorate these fallen heroes from the
6 Regiment, “I” Company of the
Union Army and has taken hundreds of
photos of the soldiers’ gravestones
that served from the cities of Lawrence
and Methuen, respectively.
He says that he is compelled to honor
this specific group of American heroes in
this “special project” of his,
which will be his own publication. Joe is
dedicated, he’s preparing well in
advance for the 150th anniversary of the
Civil War, which will be 2011.
What’s more, he is a Board member of
the Lawrence Civil War Memorial Guard, a
re-enactment group which memorializes the
6th Regiment, “I” Company from
Lawrence.
Their claim to fame is that they marched
through Baltimore on April 19, 1861, and
were one of the 1st Regiments called up
by President Lincoln to protect
Washington D.C. a week after the first
shots were fired at Fort Sumter, S.C.
If you would like more information
regarding the 6th annual re-enactment, it
will be held on September 20th and 21st
at the Camp Campagnone Common in
Lawrence, MA, contact Beth at
978-686-9881.
An elaborately choreographed re-enactment
will be conducted at the place of its
origin in Washington, D.C. in 2011.
His overall appreciation of the
sacrifices of servicemen and women is
evident in his words: “I like to
show people that history should not be
forgotten…the sacrifices of these
men should not be forgotten,” he
continued. “I can relate… to
having served in combat overseas and I
feel like I’m a part of them and (I
want to) bring history to the forefront.”
On any given day, Joe Bella can be
seen somewhere running around the
Lawrence/Methuen area, serving veterans,
volunteering in the community and reacing
out to help the people of the Merrimack
Valley.
Joe is this month’s Valley Patriot
and it is well deserved. Joe, the Valley
Patriot salutes you. Thank you for your
service to our great Nation and to our
community, Sir!
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All
pictures and material are
(C) copyright, Valley Patriot, Inc., 2008
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