Taunton school dedicated to local war hero — but won't be renamed for him. What happened?
TAUNTON — East Taunton Elementary School will soon incorporate a special dedication to a fallen war hero — but the school will not be renamed for him.
The Taunton School Committee voted on Sept. 6 to include under the lettering of East Taunton Elementary School a dedication to Lance Corporal Raymond Roland LaPointe, an East Taunton resident who served in Vietnam and was killed by North Vietnamese fire on Sept. 10, 1967.
“It will be an appropriate way to honor not just him, but all veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Superintendent of Schools Jon Cabral said.
The decision comes after a proposal was made back in March by the Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association (TAVVA) to rename East Taunton Elementary School after LaPointe.
“He should be part of Taunton’s history. His spirit, bravery, courage and patriotism should echo through halls of the school to remind all those who attend who he was and what he did for his country,” said TAVVA Vice President Dennis Proulx back on March 1 when the proposal was brought to the Taunton School Committee.
How the decision was made
The school department responded by producing an online survey to get community feedback. The survey, which was conducted from April 5 – May 5 and was shared and advertised across all social media platforms for Taunton Public Schools, provided five options to select from for naming the school:
East Taunton Elementary School
East Taunton Elementary School Dedicated to Lance Corporal Raymond LaPointe
Lance Corporal Raymond LaPointe Elementary School
Lance Corporal Raymond LaPointe East Taunton Elementary School
“Other” - Write in
Cabral said despite the survey results being available by May, a combination of summer vacation schedule and less officials around regularly delayed the process.
“A topic of this magnitude, we wanted to make sure all board members would be present for the meeting,” he said.
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Results of the survey
A total of 838 responses were recorded for the survey.
The results were:
42.4% East Taunton Elementary School
29.3% Lance Corporal Raymond LaPointe Elementary School
14.6% East Taunton Elementary School Dedicated to Lance Corporal Raymond LaPointe
9.3% Lance Corporal Raymond LaPointe East Taunton Elementary School
4.4% “Other” – Write in
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A compromise solution
Cabral said at the Sept. 6 School Committee meeting that given the significant amount of votes favoring keeping the original name, a compromise would be to dedicate the school to LaPointe.
Mayor Shaunna O’Connell stated at the meeting “a good alternative is to still honor him in some fashion.”
Digital renderings were provided to the School Committee to show how the lettering would look both on the sign when you drive onto the property of East Taunton Elementary School, as well as on the side of the building.
Cabral said the idea is similar to when Oakland Educational and Community Complex — for Friedman Middle School and Joseph Chamberlain Elementary School — was dedicated to former Taunton Mayor Richard “Dick” Johnson back in September 2021.
It was voted on with unanimous approval by the School Committee to retain the name East Taunton Elementary School and to add a special dedication on both the building and main entrance sign for LaPointe.
O’Connell said in a written statement:
“Lance Corporal Ray LaPointe bravely gave his life in service to our country. He is a true hero in every sense of the word. By dedicating East Taunton Elementary School to Lance Corporal LaPointe, we honor his memory as a community and we give our children a legacy of patriotism, courage and bravery to serve as a guiding principle throughout their school years and throughout their lives."
Reaction from TAVVA
Proulx said the members of the Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association are disappointed the school isn't being renamed. But, he added, ultimately, members are happy LaPointe is getting the recognition he deserves.
Proulx said the superintendent and school department are keeping TAVVA in the loop and regularly taking input from the organization over the design, wording and size of the lettering to be used for the dedication.
"Everyone's been very agreeable," Proulx
LaPointe was killed in action at 19
LaPointe enlisted in the U.S. Marines after graduating from Taunton High School. Nicknamed “Frenchie” by his platoon, LaPointe was part of the 3rd Battalion of the 26th Marines.
For several days, from Sept. 7-10, 1967, the 3rd Battalion was hit heavy by the North Vietnamese Army. They held their position just outside the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam.
Survivors from 3rd Battalion recalled LaPointe being one of many soldiers who stood their ground amidst the melee, even resorting to hand-to-hand combat after expending all ammo.
“Their actions enabled reinforcements to consolidate our perimeter again and [provide] supporting fire to repel the enemy. If not for this heroic action we may have been completely wiped out,” said Corporal Calvin Wheeler, who submitted testimonial via e-mail to TAVVA early this year in support of the proposal to rename the school after LaPointe.
LaPointe was only 19 when he was killed in action. He was one of 13 Tauntonians who died in the Vietnam War, according to military records.
In May 2021, the city and the Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association dedicated a ceremonial plaque to LaPointe at Pine Hill Cemetery.
In November that same year, the LaPointe family gravestone was cleaned, updated with Raymond’s name, and newly memorialized by the city at St. James Cemetery.
Finalizing Plans
Cabral said the School Department is still finalizing the design for the written dedication to LaPointe.
There is no official timetable, said Cabral, but he added there will be a public dedication ceremony scheduled with the school department, mayor’s office and TAVVA when the design is finalized and installed.
In addition, down the line, said Cabral, a memorial display area will be set up inside East Taunton Elementary School, comprised of photos, a written biography and stories about LaPointe from soldiers who knew him.
Proulx said TAVVA is attempting to correspond with veterans from LaPointe's battalion for any memorabilia to be included in this memorial display. It is also looking to see if the family of LaPointe wishes to contribute any belongings.
TAVVA looking for LaPointe memorabilia and letters
Proulx said the Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association is looking for and accepting from the public any memorabilia and copies of letters of correspondence anyone in the community may still have from LaPointe, to be included in his school memorial.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: East Taunton Elementary School dedicated to Marine killed in Vietnam
