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One beautiful little town in Massachusetts…
One close-knit little town in Massachusetts…just minutes from downtown
Boston, in the Forties befriended and educated a young Ronald Dow
Eaton, who attended its schools, went to dances at its Silver Lake,
worked in its businesses, and absorbed its core values of pride, public
service and integrity.
Silver Lake Beach in Wilmington, Massachusetts, Ensign Ron Eaton's Home Town.
One proud little town in Massachusetts, named Wilmington…worried in
the Fifties as it sent its “Ron” off to be trained as a Naval Aviator
at Pensacola, followed his progress with interest and pride, and
welcomed the young aviator with his “Wings of Gold” home on leave,
marveling that he could fly that Corsair so well and didn’t care when
he “accidentally” flew too low over the town to show off.
One concerned little town in Massachusetts…followed the news in the
Town Crier that reported on Ron’s deployment on board the USS Bon Homme
Richard (CV-31) with his squadron as it began a combat deployment to
Korean Waters in 1952.
One broken hearted little town in Massachusetts…held its breath when
Ron’s family was sent The Telegram on June 25, 1952, advising them that
he was Missing In Action. Warm arms and wet cheeks embraced his
family and offered them what solace they could, because in that town
they were all family.
One grieving little town in Massachusetts…wept when the Defense
Department declared him dead a year after the rescue mission, initially
successful, was itself destroyed by accurate ground fire. His
rescue—the deadliest helicopter rescue mission of the Korean War—had
become a trap in which he was the bait.
One understanding little town in Massachusetts…supported the family
when it erected, at its own expense, a monument to its Ron Eaton on the
corner of its busiest street—a large, engraved headstone behind which
flies the American flag and the KIA/MIA flag, day in and day out, as it
has for the 55 years Ensign Ron Eaton’s family, and his one little
hometown in Massachusetts have been waiting for their government to
honor its pledge made to all its servicemen and women to bring them
home—not leave them behind in hostile hands—if at all possible.
One patient little town in Massachusetts…has decided that it has
waited long enough—that 55 years is quite long enough to make an effort
to return Ron’s remains to his beautiful little home town on Silver
Lake.
One determined little town in Massachusetts, wants the government to
change its current policy of not even talking to the government of
North Korea for over two years about searching for the remains of many
hundreds of Americans, like Wilmington’s Ron Eaton, who in fulfilling
their duty to their country and their fellow comrades in arms, made
what is sometimes called, “the ultimate sacrifice.”
One symbolic little town in Massachusetts, on behalf of all the
other “Wilmington’s” across America, of whatever size or state, wants
America to once more make returning the remains of Korean War killed in
action servicemen a national priority.
One resolute little town in Massachusetts, wants America to ask:
“Why aren’t we looking for Ron and the other KIA servicemen that were
left in Korea?”
One out-of-patience little town in Massachusetts, wants its sister
hometowns across America to ask Washington: “Isn’t it about time that
you brought our Ron home?”