House of Heroes Kicks Off 2026 Year of Service Assisting a Pair of Vietnam Vets

House of Heroes Kicks Off 2026 Year of Service Assisting a Pair of Vietnam Vets on National Vietnam War Veterans Day Weekend

It is only appropriate that House of Heroes Connecticut kicked off its 15th Year of

Service March 28 - on National Vietnam War Veterans Day Weekend – by serving two

proud Vietnam Vets.

80-year-old Ralph “Butch” Mannochi of East Haven and 79-year-old Dean Buden of

Plainville were HOHCT’s 294th and 295th Vets to be served since our 2012 founding.

Both served in the jungles of Vietnam at the height of the war, Mannochi as a

communications specialist and Buden as a mechanic servicing battle-weary Huey

helicopters. They were both there in January 1968 for one of the largest military actions

of the war, the Tet Offensive, a campaign initiated by the North Vietnamese which

resulted in major casualties on both sides and triggered immense anti-war sentiment in

the U.S.

Though Buden does not consider himself a combat Vet he saw plenty and, suffering

from PTSD to this day, he has attended weekly support meetings with fellow Vets for

decades. “We got mortared a lot,” Buden said. “Serving in Vietnam almost ruined my

life. My wife and I have been through some tough times.”

“The Tet Offensive was pretty hard,” said Mannochi. “My parents thought I died,

because I was with the 1st Cavalry Division and they had read in the Stars and Stripes

newspaper that the Division had been wiped out. They didn’t hear from me because it

took weeks for a letter to get through.

“When I did finally contact them by a radio communication, they were crying.”

These first two projects of the year for these deserving Vets were supported by student

volunteers from Quinnipiac University and Choate Rosemary Hall, who performed

extensive yardwork, property clearing, and deck repairs and staining. CleanCut Bath

also converted a tub into a walk-in shower in East Haven, while HOHCT installed a stair

lift in Plainville to make life easier for Dean’s wife Juanita, who suffers from a variety of

health and mobility issues.

The experience was one the students will never forget.

“This is important for me because I have family who served in the military and I aspire to

serve in the military, too. I’d like to join the ROTC program when I go to college,” said

Choate junior Shaleen Sheth, a volunteer in East Haven. “I feel like some of my

generation tend to forget the sacrifices Veterans have made, and it’s really important

that we pay back even a fraction of what Veterans have given to us.

“They gave up the best years of their lives to fight for this country.”

“My Dad is a veteran, and so is my grandfather, so I’ve always appreciated Veterans,”

said Quinnipiac freshman Lauren Anderson, a Plainville volunteer. “I’ve seen how the

service has impacted their lives. It was really rewarding to meet the Veteran and see

how our work made a difference in his life.”

“Not many Veterans want to talk about their service, so listening to our Veteran talk

about how much he really cherished his service was really interesting,” said Quinnipiac

senior Meghan Stellhorn, who interviewed Dean Buden and took a lead role for her

student group in writing Dean’s story for the project.

The Quinnipiac students were guided by Professors Marh Beth Schreindorfer and Gail

Garfield-Dadio. The Choate students were led by Choate Director of Community

Service Melissa Koomson.

“It was a cold day, we were freezing, it felt like our faces were about to fall off,” said

Professor Schreindorfer to her students following the project. “But now you are nice,

warm and toasty because your hearts are filled with love and giving. For projects like

this, you always get more back than you give.”

House of Heroes Connecticut is back at it again on April 18, helping veterans in East

Hartford and Meriden. The organization expects to serve its 300th Veteran on Memorial

Day weekend.