Above, Bill Brett discussed his latest book about veterans on Nov. 5, 2026 in the library of the Massachusetts State House. Anna Saldinger photo
By Anna Saldinger, Boston University Statehouse Program
Dorchester native Bill Brett, an award-winning Boston Globe photographer over some seven decades, has over that time also served as a visual historian for the people of Boston. In his seventh book, “Boston Veterans Appreciation,” he again turned his lens and ear close to home, saying the process of capturing portraits local veterans was “just beautiful.”
He noted that “there are books written about all kinds of wars and conflicts, but to highlight a group of men and women from the Boston area, it was an honor.”
Brett said that he did not have a direct connection to the military when considering this book. He just figured that now is “my time to thank” those who served.
In an author talk held last Thursday (Nov. 5) at the State Library inside the State House, he recounted some of the stories in the book and showed the audience many of the accompanying photographs.
He told the audience that he “knew right away” where he wanted to start. He called Luigi “Lou” Pasquale, a Quincy native and World War II veteran who Brett described as a Dorchester “fixture.”
Pasquale, who has since passed away, was a mason who helped build Dorchester landmarks like the Boston Bowl. While he didn’t live in the neighborhood, Brett wrote, he mentored Dorchester youth and was essentially a vice president of community relations for the neighborhood.
Before he served the Dorchester community, he served in the US Army, enlisting during World War II at age 17, fighting in the Battle of Okinawa in Japan, and signing off as a decorated private first class.
Brett also highlighted history-makers that he has featured in “Boston Veterans Appreciation,” including Col. Marisol A. Chalas, the first Latina Black Hawk helicopter pilot, and 106-year-old Freeman K. Johnson, the oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
He described an emotional moment with Johnson when he brought him a copy of the book. On Johnson’s porch, he gave a “big hug” to Brett, who recalled him saying, “I finally made a book. It took me 106 years to make a book.”
Other veterans were more reluctant to participate, Brett noted.
Signage inside the Massachusetts State Library last week advertised Bill Brett’s author talk. Anna Saldinger photo
“Many of these men asked, ‘Why me?’ I was just a corporal, I was a sergeant.’” I said “everybody was special. You’re all heroes who have stepped up to the plate.”
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Veteran Services, which organized the talk, provides a wide array of supports, including benefits, social services, and veterans’ homes.
Secretary Eric Goralnick said that his conversation with Brett was a “pleasure.” His book, he said, is a pathway to a stronger relationship between veterans and the public in that it can “humanize” veterans.
Goralnick sais he was touched by the book’s focus on who veterans are as individuals and what motivated them to serve. He said that exploring “why they continue to help other veterans is really important to continue the traditions of this important tribe.”
Tyler Harmon, who attended Brett’s talk and served in the Navy, lives in Boston and works for the Department of Veteran Affairs. While serving as a jet mechanic, she picked up photography and took candid shots of her colleagues. She said that while she was “never a good photographer,” she treasures those shots.
Today, Harmon helps veterans return to work. Many of her clients have experienced homelessness and “are struggling to get back to civilian life.”
She said she attended Brett’s talk as a way to better understand Boston veterans and their history. “The more informed I am, the better support I can give veterans in the community,” she said.
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