QUINCY – A large crowd, including U.S. Navy soldiers and veterans, elected officials and other area dignitaries, gathered in light rain and fog Friday morning for the dedication of the Quincy Navy Park in Squantum and the Lone Sailor statue.
The statue, one of 19 worldwide, honors the men and women of the Navy past, present and future and educates the public about their service, the dedication program said.
The date of the dedication, August 9, is significant. On this day in 1942, Japanese forces sank the USS Quincy, a cruiser built at the Fore River shipyard, during the Battle of Savo Island. The ship’s crew of 307 sailors died in the battle
August 9 also marks the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. This anniversary was not mentioned at the inauguration.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps General and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford served as master of ceremonies for the event. Dunford grew up in Quincy, and a bronze statue of him adorns Generals Park in the city center.
Dunford recalled that Squantum Point was home to the Victory Plant, where destroyers were built, during World War I. The same site was also home to a naval air base where pilots trained before deployment during World War II.
Dunford emphasized the city’s long historical connection with the Navy, which was established as a separate department by President John Adams in 1798.
“A living open-air museum.” Koch says the park will inspire the next generation
Mayor Thomas Koch said the new park fills a need following the 2021 dedication of Generals Park, a similar monument commemorating Quincy-born generals downtown.
“The Navy people wanted something special for her, too,” Koch said. The mayor thanked the late Bob and Ted Naser, two local veterans who years ago pitched him their idea to put a Lone Sailor statue in Quincy.
The park, which begins at the Marina Bay boardwalk, is home to the Lone Sailor statue and plaques honoring six admirals and six Quincy “celebrities” who served with distinction in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
The admirals include: Vice Admiral Colin J. Kilrain, retired; Rear Admiral Stephen T. Keith, retired; Vice Admiral John K. Ready, d. 2010; Rear Admiral Bartholomew W. Hogan, who died in 1983; Rear Admiral Giles G. Stedman, who died in 1961; and Rear Admiral Forrest B. Royal, who died in 1945.
The “celebrities” include: Francis X. Bellotti, US Navy; Mildred R. Cox, US Marine Corps; Richard A. Stratton, US Navy; Henry W. Bosworth Jr., US Navy; Charles Francis Adams III, US Navy; and John J. Shea, US Navy.
The park will tell the stories of those honored “for future generations as a living monument and museum,” Koch said.
Lieutenant Governors Kim Driscoll and Stephen Lynch honor military members
Following Koch on the podium, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said her father was a Marine. She described growing up in a military family, particularly the frequent moves and always having to be “the new kid in school.”
Driscoll said the sacrifice was worth it because her father was an example of “hard work with discipline and dedication.”
Driscoll also celebrated Governor Maura Healey’s recent signing of the HERO Act, a law that invests in health care and other benefits and services for veterans.
Democratic U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch of South Boston used the occasion to recall the time when he worked night shifts for General Dynamics at the Fore River shipyard.
The “old, experienced Navy veterans” who ran the shipyard’s welding school impressed upon Lynch and the other workers that “any mistake or deviation from their high standards would have serious consequences,” he said.
After listing some of the important military ships built at the shipyard, Lynch noted that 81,000 marines were missing and their bodies “presumed untraceable.”
“We will remember her forever here in Quincy; the city of generals, the city of admirals, the city of presidents,” Lynch said. “How beautiful, how noble, how truly American is that?”
Centenarians Frank X. Bellotti and Mildred R. Cox honored at inauguration
Two centenarians were honored at the dedication ceremony: Frank X. Bellotti, former Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General of Massachusetts, who served in World War II with the Navy’s Amphibious Scouts & Raiders, a predecessor of the Navy SEALs, and World War II veteran Mildred R. Cox, one of the first female Marines.
In a poignant moment, Vice Admiral Colin J. Kilrain removed his Navy SEAL pin and pinned it on Bellotti’s lapel. Kilrain said Bellotti’s Scouts & Raiders suffered the highest casualties of any American unit in World War II.
Cox, who celebrated her 100th birthday this year, gave a spirited speech highlighting the contribution of women to the armed forces.
“All warriors, past and present, have always been capable,” she said. “Someone just had to recognize it.”
Cox talked about her life in Quincy, which she devoted to veterans service and raising her children. Cox joked that neighborhood boys would always tease her sons by saying, “Your mother wears combat boots,” and they would respond, “You’re damn bad.”
The ceremony concluded with eight bells ringing in memory of the 307 crew members who died 82 years ago when the USS Quincy was sunk by Japanese forces in the Battle of Savo Island.
The bell belonged to another famous ship built at the Fore River shipyard, also named USS Quincy. This ship fired on the beach at Normandy during the D-Day invasion of 1944. It also transported President Franklin Roosevelt to historically important diplomatic conferences, including the Yalta Conference in 1945.
Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Reach him at [email protected].
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