QUINCY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Community members and loved ones paid tribute to former U.S. Navy Captain Richard Stratton in Quincy Saturday.
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch eulogized the ceremony and told WBZ NewsRadio that Stratton is a true American icon. “Dick Stratton is as good as they get,” he said. “[He] served his country and [had] no regrets doing it," adding that he never forgot his Quincy roots.
Stratton served as a pilot during the Vietnam War and was the longest-serving prisoners of war (POWs). He spent over six years at North Vietnamese prison camps after he ejected from his aircraft due to a missile malfunction. He was released in 1973.
“I think his service defined who [he is] as a person, especially he came back from Vietnam as a prisoner of war,” U.S. Navy Reserve Commander Aaron Miller said. “Everything he’s done for this country is nothing short of amazing.”
Stratton continued to serve in the U.S. Navy after he returned home from Vietnam until his retirement in 1986.
He was laid to rest following a funeral mass at Sacred Heart Church in Quincy. Stratton passed away on Jan. 18 at 93 years old.
WBZ NewsRadio's Mike Macklin reports.
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