Working Hard to Make This Year’s St. Patrick’s Day/Evacuation Day Festivities Great
South Boston’s veterans have always seemed to have the knack of picking outstanding people to be Chief Marshal for the St. Patrick’s Day/ Evacuation Day festivities. And 2019 has proven to be no exception with the announcement by the South Boston Allied War Veteran’s Council(SBAWVC) that this year’s selection is John Beatty. For those of you who aren’t already familiar with John Beatty, he comes with an impressive profile and resume which includes an outstanding military record. As are all of our country’s veterans, he is a genuine American hero.
If you log onto the SBAWVC website, you can learn all about this good man. You will find that he currently serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Military Task Force which is housed in the Office of the Governor. A native of South Boston, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) John Beatty graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned as an artillery field officer in the United States Army. John Beatty has served 23 years in the military and led a range of organizations, commanding units in Germany and Kosovo and was deployed twice to the Middle East.
Here at South Boston Today, we had the honor and the pleasure to speak with Chief Marshal John Beatty earlier this week in an effort to get to know more about him and what his plans were for the upcoming festivities and how he thinks everything is going so far. One thing became instantly clear when talking with him – he considers it a great honor and is humbled that he was chosen by his local fellow veterans; any one of whom he stated would be up to the job themselves. He is enjoying working with his fellow vets, including the SBAWVC Commander Dave Falvey, who Beatty said is doing a great job. Beatty also stressed that he intends to do his very best and give 100% to representing South Boston residents and its many veterans in a way the town will be proud of.
John Beatty has been and plans to continue to be out in the community; visiting with the members of all of South Boston’s veteran’s posts. He wants to work closely with the vets of all ages. He is an avid student of American history and has spent time talking with South Boston’s own historian Bob Allison; head of the South Boston Historical Society, as they both share the same interest in our nation’s proud past as well as the history being made in the present.
The one purpose of the upcoming Chief Marshal’s banquet which will be held on Saturday, March 2nd at the Boston Teacher’s Union Hall from 5-8pm, as it each year, to honor the current Chief Marshal but it also gives the community the opportunity to get to know the Chief Marshal each year, to talk with him personally and get a sense of the type of person who will be up front during this very special festive season that the entire community and beyond is invited to be part of. This year promises to be a great one with live music and guest speakers and all the other happenings that make for a good time.
Having had the opportunity to speak directly to him, look at his magnificent accomplishment and service on behalf of our nation and hear firsthand how he wants to work so hard to make this year’s celebration the best it can possibly be, there can be no doubt that the choice of Lt Colonel John Beatty (US Army retired) was an excellent one. A choice this community can be proud of.
