TAUNTON - Superintendent John Cabral, Principal Claudine Nichols, and the Taunton School Committee invite community members to attend a dedication ceremony at East Taunton Elementary School in honor of Lance Cpl. Raymond R. LaPointe, who was Killed in Action in Vietnam in 1967.
WHEN
Friday, June 14, 2024, 10 a.m. (Flag Day)
WHERE
58R Stevens St., Taunton, MA 2780
WHO
Taunton Public Schools Administration, Taunton School Committee, Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association (TAVVA), Elected Officials and members of the LaPointe family
WHAT
On June 14 at 10 a.m. East Taunton Elementary School will be dedicated to Lance Cpl. Raymond R. LaPointe, a Taunton resident killed in action in 1967 in Vietnam.
Lance Cpl. LaPointe served in a weapons platoon in K Company of the 3rd Marine Battalion, 26th Marines, 3rd Division. On September 10, LaPointe’s unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese regiment just outside Con Thien, a few miles south of the Demilitarized Zone. LaPointe and his machine gun crew are credited with holding off wave after wave of advancing North Vietnamese troops, allowing other Marines to regroup safely. His fellow Marines describe LaPointe running out of ammunition and fighting hand-to-hand before his position was overrun. LaPointe’s battalion commander called the fighting the “hardest fighting [the battalion] encountered since arriving in Vietnam,” in official military documents.
LaPointe was killed in action at 19 years old and was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart.
The Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association (TAVVA) started the process of dedicating the school to LaPointe in February 2023 when it petitioned the school committee to recognize LaPointe. In September, following public surveys and input, the school committee decided to dedicate the school to LaPointe but not rename it.
As part of the ceremony, lettering honoring LaPointe will be unveiled on the front of the building. The ceremony will also include an introduction and welcome by East Taunton Elementary School Principal Claudine Nichols, the Pledge of Allegiance and Star Spangled Banner by students, and remarks from elected officials, including Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, School Committee Chairman Dr. Gregory DeMelo, State Senator Marc Pacheco and State Representatives Carol Doherty, Patricia Haddad and Norman Orrall. Members of the LaPointe family and one of LaPointe’s Taunton High School classmates will also be present.
LaPointe grew up in East Taunton, attending Caswell Grammar School and graduating from Taunton High School in 1966. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Marines and was deployed to Vietnam.
The intersection of Stevens St and Pinehill St in East Taunton is dedicated to LaPointe and he is interred at St. James Cemetery.
Parking is available in the lot in front of the building (labeled as attendee parking in yellow below). Overflow parking is available to the immediate right/read of the building (labeled as overflow parking in yellow below).
A recording of the ceremony will be posted to the School District YouTube page: youtube.com/@THSTVStudio