Dedham VFW Leadership Team

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Steve Ruggiero

Steve is a 26-year retired Navy veteran who served in Operation Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom  (Afghanistan). He joined the VFW, Fountain Valley, CA, Post in 2002 and later transferred to Santa Anna Post 10694, and has been a member of VFW Dedham since 2019. 

 Gene Hartigan is a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army with the 249th Engineer Battalion in Karlsruhe, Germany, and later with the 589th Engineer Battalion in Vietnam. Assigned to a remote line company south of Phan Rang Air Base, he helped secure critical sections of Highway One, the primary ground supply route. Following his military service, Hartigan built a career in international business and public service, working with global maritime shipping and aviation organizations to strengthen partnerships between North America and Asia. He is also the Founder and Chairman of AfriMed Network, Inc., a nonprofit expanding access to medical care in Côte d’Ivoire. 

Steve Armstrong

Steve is an Army National Guard Staff Sergeant who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Colleen Hynes

 Colleen grew up in East Dedham and graduated from Dedham High School in 1997 before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, where she served seven years on active duty with deployments supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. While stationed in Turkey, she met her husband, and they have now been married for 24 years while raising their two children, Ronan and Ada.

After leaving the Air Force, Colleen became a registered nurse and now works in research at VA Boston, continuing her commitment to serving fellow veterans. Military service runs deep in her family, with her father, uncles, and great uncles all having served. She is currently working with the Dedham Veterans Service Officer to bring the Hometown Heroes Banner Program to Dedham, helping recognize and honor the many veterans in the community.

Neal Duckworth

Originally from Missouri, Neal served nearly 23 years in the Marine Corps and deployed in support of Operations Desert Shield / Desert Storm (Saudi Arabia/Kuwait); Joint Forge (Bosnia); Enduring Freedom (Kabul, Afghanistan); and Iraqi Freedom (Ramadi, Iraq). He joined Post 4246 in Macon, MO in 1991 before transferring to Dedham in 2014.

Rod Fritz

Rod is a U.S. Army Vietnam combat veteran who served with the 11th Armored Cavalry and the 6th Psychological Operations Battalion from 1969–70. He participated in more than 150 aerial missions over South Vietnam and Cambodia during his tour of duty.

After returning to civilian life, Rod worked in radio news for more than 50 years before retiring in 2017. During his career, he served as News Director and anchor at several Boston radio stations, including WRKO, WEEI Newsradio, WROR-FM, and WBZ. He also anchored national broadcasts for Fox News Radio, ESPN Radio, CBS Radio, Wall Street Journal Radio, and Bloomberg Radio.

In 2025, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He currently serves on the board of AfriMed Network, a U.S.-based nonprofit that brings basic healthcare to remote villages in West Africa, including communities in Côte d’Ivoire.

John Cheevers

Tom Honner