Taunton elementary school to be dedicated to fallen Marine

TAUNTON, Mass. (WLNE) — East Taunton Elementary School will be dedicated to Lance Cpl. Raymond R. LaPointe, a Taunton resident killed in action in Vietnam in 1967.

Lettering honoring LaPointe will be unveiled on the front of the school as part of a dedication ceremony on June 14.

The ceremony will include remarks from school personnel and local officials, including Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell.

LaPointe served in a weapons platoon in K Company of the 3rd Marine Battalion, 26th Marines, 3rd Division.

LaPointe’s unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese regimen on September 10, 1967 and LaPointe and his machine gun crew held off oncoming waves of enemy troops.

This allowed other groups of Marines to regroup safely.

LaPointe ran out of ammunition and fought the enemy hand-to-hand before being overrun.

LaPointe was 19-years-old when he was killed in action and was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.