Francisco Ureña is the Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs. He has been a member of the United States Marine Corps, where his passion for helping the community begun. Ureña was also a Tank Commander during the operation Iraqi Freedom. During a fight with insurgents, he was struck by flying glass and debris, including a piece of scrap metal that became stuck in his left cheek. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his injury. In January 2007, ex-Mayor Michael J. Sullivan chose Ureña to serve as Lawrence’s Director of Veterans Services. Ureña was also named Commissioner of Veterans’ Services for the City of Boston by Mayor Thomas Menino. In this position, he oversaw this distribution of over $3.8 million a year in benefits to the city’s 700-plus veterans. He is originally from the Dominican Republic and resides in Lawrence.
Francisco Ureña es el Secretario de Asuntos de Veteranos de Massachusetts. Su pasión por ayudar a la comunidad comenzó con su labor en el United States Marine Corps. Ureña también se desempeñó como Comandante de Tanque durante la operación conocida como “Iraqi Freedom”. En una pelea con insurgentes de la zona, sufrió su primera herida de guerra, que le hizo merecedor del reconocimiento “Purple Heart”. In enero de 2007, el ex-Alcalde Michael J. Sullivan nombró a Ureña Director del Servicio de Veteranos para la ciudad de Lawrence. Más tarde, el alcalde Thomas Menino, lo asignó como Comisionado del Servicio de Veteranos para la ciudad de Boston. Durante su tiempo como Comisionado, Ureña supervisó la distribución de más de $3.8 anuales en beneficios para aproximadamente 700 veteranos. Francisco tiene raíces dominicanas y actualmente vive en Lawrence, MA.
