Korean War veterans’ memorial in Washington, D.C. Credit: Flickr Creative Commons/Nathan Rupert
Korean War veteran Sergeant Robert Dakin was buried with full military honors in his hometown of Waltham on Saturday, 65 years after he was declared missing in action.
Hundreds of people lined the city center on an unseasonably warm, sunny December day to watch a horse-drawn processional carrying Dakin’s coffin. Schoolchildren held “Welcome home” signs, Boy Scouts waved American flags. Waltham high school football players and cheerleaders also turned out to pay their respects to a hometown hero.
“It’s an honor for the city of Waltham for him to be laid to rest here,” Michael Russo, the city’s director of veterans’ services, said by telephone after the service. “The Waltham community came together to give him a homecoming and show their respect and appreciation for him making the ultimate sacrifice.”
Dakin was 22 -years-old when he disappeared on December 12, 1950 during the brutal Battle of Chosin Reservoir. He was later declared to have been killed in action, but his remains were not recovered and identified until recently.
On Friday, a wake was held for Dakin at the Joyce Funeral Home. An honor guard presented his family with a Purple Heart, a military honor awarded to those wounded or killed in action.
His funeral on Saturday drew scores of family, friends, veterans and Waltham city officials to First Parish Church. Dakin was eulogized by a great nephew, Derek Hughes, a childhood friend and former Waltham High football teammate Lorne MacArthur. City Councilor Joseph Giordano spoke on behalf of the city, Russo said.
Dakin was laid to rest at Mount Feake Cemetery in Waltham on Saturday with full military honors. He is survived by one sister, several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, said Russo.
Reenat Sinay 