Celtics to honor NH Marine officer

Celtics to honor NH Marine officer

By BETH LAMONTAGNE HALL
New Hampshire Union Leader



Before the Boston Celtics take the floor at the TD Bank Garden on Saturday, a former high school basketball star and candidate for New Hampshire governor will take center court to receive an award for his 30 years of service as a Marine.

Lt. Col. Joseph Kenney, of Wakefield, is being honored by the Boston Celtics' "Heroes Among Us" program, which gives out monthly awards recognizing people who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to the community. Kenney and his family will be driven to Boston, courtesy of the Celts, meet some of the players and get tickets to the team's game against the Toronto Raptors.

"My son and I are excited to go down. He's a big Ray Allen fan," Kenney said.

A longtime Celtics fan and a former basketball player for Spaulding High School of Rochester, Kenney said the opportunity to see his team play while home on leave from Afghanistan is an unexpected treat. It's every young basketball fan's dream to stand in the middle of the parquet floor, he said, and he is proud to do so as a representative of the U.S. military.

Kenney will be heading back to Afghanistan to finish the last four months of his deployment next week. Earlier this year, U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal outlined a new strategy in Iraq that emphasizes protecting the local people, reconstructing the infrastructure and using more troops to fight the Taliban.
read more here
Celtics to honor NH Marine officer