Vietnam Memorial

Six men from Charlestown died in Vietnam between 1966 and 1970. Their names were Lawrence Thomas Borden, Edward Lee Johnson, William James McNamara, David James Pugh, Francis Edward Powers and Michael Patrick Quinn. Three of the men were in the US Army and three were part of the Marine Corps. The youngest was 20 and the oldest was 36.

Two years ago, after planning, designing, and raising money, the Vietnam Memorial honoring these six men was dedicated at Memorial Hall.

"My heart leaps when I come around the corner and see the Memorial," said Joe Zuffante, chairperson of the Memorial Committee. "I’m glad Dan O’Neil dragged me into it."

Zuffante is a veteran of two tours in Vietnam and O’Neil is the historian for Memorial Hall. Zuffante said that after a conversation he and O’Neil had they realized there was no memorial dedicated to the six men from the town who had died in Southeast Asia. They formed a committee, and were soon joined by Stan Leonard and several other generous people, including Lt. Col. John Collier, honorary chairperson, who spoke at the dedication ceremony.

"John Flatley made the first donation," Zuffante said, and then there were a number of fundraisers. They ultimately raised $35,000. "We had the most incredible dedication," Zuffante said. "There were 300 people at the unveiling," including members of Pugh’s platoon.

"I think that every year we should call out their names," said Collier. "They should never be forgottten."

• Where is it? 
  In the yard at Memorial Hall, 14 Green Street

• When was it built?
  It was dedicated in April of 2009

• Who built it?
  Monti Granite in Quincy cut the stone. The Memorial Committee wrote the words of dedication. The families of the six soldiers gave the committee photos of their sons and the graphics department at Budweiser created sketches from the photographs. Poured bronze created bas relief images which were affixed to the stone.

• What was it built for?
  To honor the six service men from Charlestown who died in the Vietnam War.

• How was it built?
  Memorial committee volunteers dug a deep ditch and filled it with concrete, to support the weight of the monument. The stones were lifted by crane over the fence, and then settled into the ground. 

• What are the future plans for the structure?
  "We would like it to be a memorial park," Zuffante said. "There is a memorial to the Merchant Marines on Medford Street, at the property entrance of old Revere Sugar. We are in the process of moving that memorial up to our place." He said they hope to have benches on the grass and a place for people who work in the area to come and rest. "We are a bit strapped for cash," Zuffante added, "but we do want to remember these men every year. We hope for a memorial celebration in November, on Veteran's Day."

Information for this article was compiled through interviews with Stan Leonard, Dan O’Neil, Joe Zuffante, John Collier and various web-sites, including http://www.abrahamlincolnpost11.com/Vietnam-Memorial.html.