A high-stakes institutional mission led by the Brotherhood of Retired Veterans of the Armed Forces and the National Police wrapped up a four-day tour of two U.S. Northeast states, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, between October 11 and 14, with the core goal of expanding collaborative support networks for veterans across borders. Headed by retired Major General Valerio García Reyes, the Brotherhood’s sitting president, the delegation also included García Reyes’ wife, Dr. Adaía Rosario, and Dr. Luis Díaz Martínez, a Vietnam War veteran who leads the Griffin Foundation.
Over the course of the 4-day visit, the delegation participated in 17 separate engagements across the three-region travel route, earning seven official honors from a range of state and municipal government stakeholders. Recognizing the delegation’s work to strengthen veteran advocacy and cross-national connections, awards were extended by prominent public figures including Rhode Island State Senator Ana Quezada, Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, the mayor of Providence, and multiple members of the Providence City Council.
Beyond ceremonial recognitions, the mission included a series of substantive site visits and working meetings focused on concrete cooperation opportunities. The delegation first toured the Providence VA Medical Center and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, holding discussions with local law enforcement leadership and regional community organizations focused on veteran services. Moving on to Lawrence, Massachusetts, the group met with Dr. José Báez and completed a tour of the Primary Quality Health Care facility, where they studied the center’s community-focused primary care delivery model and began early discussions about potential joint work in the healthcare sector.
One of the most pivotal meetings of the entire mission took place at Home Base’s Boston headquarters, where Chief Operating Officer Michael D. Allard walked the delegation through Home Base’s full suite of programs centered on veteran mental health services, physical rehabilitation, and holistic wraparound support for former service members. Following the presentation, the Brotherhood extended a formal invitation to Home Base representatives to visit the Dominican Republic, and tabled a proposal to develop a memorandum of understanding that would support joint support initiatives for both Dominican veterans and U.S. veterans residing in the Dominican Republic.
Beyond the veteran healthcare collaboration with Home Base, the mission’s working sessions identified multiple other promising areas for future partnership, spanning general healthcare capacity building, food security programming, community-level support services, and technology integration for veteran services. According to a statement from the Brotherhood, all potential agreements stemming from the October discussions will undergo further negotiation before being formalized at a future date.
Local reporting on this mission was first published by DominicanScope, which provides ongoing coverage of community and institutional news from the Dominican region.
Veterans’ Brotherhood president meets with Dominicans in New York
