By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Northborough – Richard Nieber was named this year’s 2019 Veteran and Legionnaire of the Year by the American Legion Vincent F. Picard Post 234. He was awarded this honor on Memorial Day, May 27, during ceremonies at the Howard Street Cemetery.
“Rick is an untiring contributor, supporter, friend and comrade to our Northborough American Legion Post 234,” according to opening remarks made at the ceremony by fellow legionnaires. “Rick’s ‘can do-will do’ spirit also extends to his family and to the Assabet Village Minutemen.”
“I look at it more as of a lifetime achievement award,” Nieber noted. “We have a Veteran’s of the Year Committee and nobody knows until Memorial Day comes who it’s going to be. Other posts view it as who was the best veteran of the past year.”
Nieber, 72, has been in the American Legion for 32 years and a member of Post 234 for the past 12, having served as adjutant for most of them. Still in that role, he also serves as commander and financial officer.
As an officer, he said that they always try to be a part of the community. He is also a member of the Honor Guard which carries out duties at official veterans’ ceremonies, civic dedications, parades and veterans’ wakes and funerals.
A native of Shrewsbury, Nieber grew up in Auburn and graduated from Fitchburg Junior College with an associate’s degree. Nieber then enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1968 and served until 1971. He said that he beat the draft by about one month.
Nieber was first sent to Boot Camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center where he earned the rank of Seaman First Class. He received further training in Bainbridge, Md. where he became a radioman, finishing fourth in his class before heading to Virginia Beach, Va., to learn cryptology.
His first station of duty was at the Naval Communication Station in Newport, R.I., and he also worked at the transmitter site across the bridge in Jamestown, R.I.
“After shore duty they put me on the U.S.S. Newport and that was out of Virginia Beach… So we did quite a few trips between Virginia Beach taking marines on maneuvers down to Puerto Rico,” Nieber stated. “I always wanted to go to an Asian country or Scandinavia but I made it to Spain, Turkey and Greece [which] I loved. I’ve been there several times.”
One of his most notable assignments was chauffeuring British officers and their wives state-side, in and around the Boston area.
He has been retired for 11 years after a variety of positions, most recently 22 years at Raytheon, where he was a senior technical support engineer. He worked on the Patriot Missile and on other defense projects.
In addition to his service to Post 234, Nieber also serves on the Northborough Appropriations Committee and the Northborough Community Emergency Response Team.
When asked what he hopes to achieve in the short term, Nieber said “I’m trying to keep the post open, the summer months are the worst because everyone is on vacation…It’s not the membership, it’s trying to get people to come in and volunteer with committees.”
He encouraged veterans who want to get involved to call the post at 508-393-3641, email [email protected] or visit www.americanlegionpost234.com/home.html.