Hundreds of area runners turn out for Boston Marine Corps Honor Run at Carson Beach

Maria Papadopoulos
·2 min read

Under picture-perfect blue skies, hundreds of runners turned out Saturday for the 21st Annual Boston Marine Corps Honor Run at Carson Beach in South Boston.

The annual event draws active duty officers and veterans from all branches of the U.S. military and local law enforcement groups.

Ladder 18 of the Boston Fire Department displayed the American Flag during the popular run.

This year’s run paid special honor to General Richard “Butch” Neal, a native of Hull who passed away on June 17, 2022. General Neal was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1965 after receiving his bachelor’s degree in history and education from Northeastern University.

During his more than three decades in the military, General Neal commanded at every level, battalion, and division, holding leadership positions in the Marine Corps and Joint Commands, according to the run’s website. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, and he was promoted to four-star general in 1996 and appointed Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.

This year's Boston Marine Corps Honor Run paid special honor to General Richard “Butch” Neal, a native of Hull, Massachusetts who passed away on June 17, 2022.
This year's Boston Marine Corps Honor Run paid special honor to General Richard “Butch” Neal, a native of Hull, Massachusetts who passed away on June 17, 2022.

General Neal’s decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star Medal with Gold Star; the Defense Superior Service Medal with Palm; Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V”; Purple Heart; Navy Commendation Medal; Navy Achievement Medal; and the Combat Action Ribbon.

Following retirement from the Marine Corps after 36 years of service, General Neal served on corporate and education boards, including roles on the Board of Overseers of his alma mater, Northeastern, as a trustee of Norwich University and Senior Fellow of the National Defense University.

The annual run in Boston raises money for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, the nation’s oldest provider of need-based scholarships to military children, with special attention given to those whose parent has been killed or wounded in combat, according to its website.

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