NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — A former National Guard medic who served in Iraq spent his wedding night in jail after allegedly assaulting three older veterans in a Veterans of Foreign Wars bar because he thought they didn’t appreciate his service.

Police say Philip Brooks of Gloucester is scheduled to be arraigned today in Lawrence District Court on assault and battery charges.

Police say the 32-year-old Brooks was at his wedding reception in the North Andover VFW banquet hall when he came downstairs to get his coat Saturday night.

The bar’s manager tells The Eagle-Tribune that Brooks started the fight when he walked into the bar and yelled that older veterans don’t appreciate the service of Iraq War vets.

He was whisked away by his new wife, but arrested at a nearby hotel later.


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