Hopkinton veterans enjoyed another military mess at the Senior Center this past Friday. It was the anniversary date of the beach assault on Okinawa in 1945. This sparked lively discussions about past military activities that happened in April.

American forces participating in the Battle of Okinawa included two dozen military men and boys who were born or settled in Hopkinton. It was the last Big Battle of World War II. Other April events that were remembered included the kamikaze bombing of the USS Kidd (DD-661) in 1945 — that fortunately did not count Hopkinton sailor Charlie Hill among the 38 killed or 55 wounded — the Bay of Pigs in 1961, the sinking of submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593) in 1963 off the coast of Cape Cod, and the final day of the evacuation of Saigon in 1975 with Bill Newell deeply involved.

Seventeen new photos were posted to the vets photo gallery, which provided viewing pleasure for several veterans.

The next scheduled Veterans Breakfast is May 6.

— Recap contributed by Hank Allessio