MILLBROOK — By all accounts, Army 1st Lt. Andrew Doro was an ideal choice to receive the honor of being remembered at the first-ever Honor-a-Veteran program sponsored by the Dutchess County Office of Veterans’ Affairs, a ceremony held at Village Hall on Thursday, April 17. The event drew a gathering of nearly 100 veterans, friends and area residents.
The solemn event was the first of what will be monthly Honor-a-Veteran ceremonies throughout the county sponsored by the Veterans’ Affairs office.
Andrew Doro, father of Millbrook’s Mayor Peter Doro, was born in the Bronx in 1945. He earned the rank of First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served with valor during the Vietnam War, receiving the Silver Star and a Purple Heart.
A large representation of Dutchess County officials and veterans’ organizations attended the historic Honor-a-Veteran program at Village Hall on Thursday, April 18, honoring the memory and service of Army 1st Lt. Andrew Doro, who served with valor in the Vietnam War.Photo By Leila Hawken
Following Doro’s service he went on to become an entrepreneur and local educator, fondly remembered by his students, some of whom were in the audience.
The ceremony was attended by the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Color Guard and included presentation of several commemorative items, accepted by Millbrook Mayor Doro on behalf of his family.
Also attending the ceremony was County Executive Sue Serino, who presented an official proclamation and a U.S. flag flown for 30 days in Doro’s honor.
Millbrook Mayor Peter Doro spoke at the first-ever Honor-a-Veteran ceremony sponsored by the Dutchess County Office of Veterans Affairs. The ceremony, held at Village Hall on Thursday, April 18, honored the memory and valor of Doro’s father, Army First Lieutenant Andrew Doro during the Vietnam War.Photo by Leila Hawken
“A true American hero from the battlefield to the classroom,” Serino said in praise of Doro’s service.
Other commemorative items presented to the Doro family included a Challenge Coin, a shadow box of medals, and a quilt from the Quilts2Quilts program.
“My dad was a humble guy,” said Peter Doro during his remarks as he thanked everyone for coming to the ceremony.
“That we can honor him in this way is a great honor for our family, the village and the vets,” he said.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Growing up in the Bronx, Hearn was captivated whenever she saw horses. Her grandfather, a Korean War veteran, had cared for military horses during the war. After returning home, he struggled with addiction, and the invisible wounds of military service. Through every difficult chapter of his life, however, one thing consistently brought him peace.
“Horses bring peace,” he told his granddaughter.
When Hearn was 11, after years apart, Hearn and her grandfather began spending weekends riding together. Less than a year later, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Before he died, he asked family members to help buy Hearn’s first horse — a stubborn paint horse that bit, kicked and frequently threw her off. She wanted to sell him. Her father refused.
“Every life has value,” he told her.
Looking back, Hearn says that lesson became the foundation of everything she would later build.
What began as a boarding stable in 2003 took a different direction after the Dutchess County SPCA asked Hearn to care for horses seized in cruelty cases. She soon realized that although Dutchess County had one of New York’s largest horse populations, there was no dedicated nonprofit equipped to care for neglected and abused horses. Lucky Orphans officially became a nonprofit in 2008.
Some of the more than 40 horses at Lucky OrphansProvided
Today, Hearn is quick to point out that Lucky Orphans is not simply a rescue.
“We’re a sanctuary,” she said.
Many of the more than 40 horses living there arrive with broken bones, chronic illnesses, heart conditions, missing eyes or other injuries that make them unsuitable for riding or adoption. Rather than rehabilitating and rehoming them, Lucky Orphans makes a lifetime commitment to every horse.
In 2013, Hearn became certified in equine-assisted psychotherapy, combining her lifelong relationship with horses and the lessons she learned from her grandfather to create programs for veterans, trauma survivors, children and families facing emotional challenges. The transformations she witnesses continue to surprise her. She recalls one woman who arrived convinced she would not fit in with a group of strangers. During the session, a horse quietly chose to follow her without a rope or commands. For the first time in years, the woman said she felt truly seen.
Another memory has stayed with Hearn ever since. A teenager in a juvenile probation program, wearing an ankle monitor and struggling with anger, entered a round pen with a horse. As his frustration grew, the horse moved farther away. When he finally calmed himself, the horse walked directly toward him and rested its head against his chest.
“I told him, ‘If you can control your energy, you can control the world around you,’” Hearn said.
Stories like these sustain her through the difficult realities of running a nonprofit. Operating the sanctuary costs roughly $52,000 each month, and Hearn lives on the property, where the work never truly ends. Veterinary bills, staffing, fundraising and the daily care of dozens of horses are constant concerns. Then someone returns years later and tells her that the horses changed their child’s life.
“That’s why I keep going,” she said.
Looking ahead, Hearn hopes more people discover what makes Lucky Orphans unique. The organization is expanding its community programming with educational visits, yoga sessions, horse encounters, volunteer opportunities and family events designed to reconnect people with horses and with one another.
Her vision is simple: to create a place where people slow down, reconnect and remember something modern life often makes us forget. If horses could speak, Hearn believes they would offer just one piece of advice.
“They’d tell us to slow down,” she said.
After spending an afternoon at Lucky Orphans, it’s hard to disagree.
For more information or to plan a visit, go to luckyorphans.org
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
