031. Puerto Rican Veterans

A first and only of its kind memorial in Boston MA to our Puerto Rican Veterans.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to another episode of the New England on a Pedestal podcast. I am your host, Doug Farquharson.  If you have returned after listening to previous episodes, thanks for sticking with us! We purposefully design each episode of our podcast to be a stand-alone chapter in the story of New England as told through its many and varied statues, sculptures, memorials, and monuments. And we hope that once you have heard one of our podcasts, you’ll be inspired to take a listen to our other episodes. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to us through your favorite podcast platform, ha! Say that three times fast. And consider leaving a review for us. It will help us reach more listeners and expand our audience. Thank you!

Last episode, we visited Hudson Massachusetts and the rather unique war veteran memorial there for an observation of Veterans Day 2025. Well, yesterday, while watching the evening news, I saw a story highlighting some of the many Veterans Day celebrations across the area. One in particular caught my attention because of its location. I remembered that this statue in the background was originally brought to my attention by my son, Alec years ago when he drove past it while working in Boston.

Located at 1440 Washington Street in Boston’s South End, it is diagonally across the street from the famous Cathedral of the Holy Cross Catholic Church. What makes this statue and the park that it is in unique isn’t so much the statue itself but who it is dedicated to. It is the first and only memorial in the continental United States dedicated to Puerto Rican veterans who have served in the US military. The sculptor responsible for this impressive piece is Robert Shure. Taken directly from the artist’s website, “A memorial to all Puerto Rican veterans who served the USA. The plaza includes engraved donation bricks, engraved granite posts, and bronze plaques. The focal point is a sculpture of two soldiers, the male wearing the contemporary Army Combat Uniform and the female wearing the Desert Camouflage Uniform. Memorial services and community events are held annually at the site. Robert has added two memorials to the site since its dedication: the Roberto Clemente Bust and the Purple Heart Monument.”

Starting back in 1999, two local Vietnam veterans, Tony Molina and Jaime Rodriguez secured the triangular piece of land and dedicated a plaque honoring the 65th Regiment which was made up of Puerto Ricans fighting in the Korean War. The two men tirelessly cared for the plot, fundraised, and worked toward creating what we see today. In 2013, Robert Shure’s statue was dedicated, honoring all Puerto Rican men and women who have served. In 2016, a bust of Roberto Clemente was unveiled to honor his service as a US Marine. The Purple Heart Monument stands nearby. 

Robert Shure was born and raised in New York where his early education solidified his love of art. He later continued his education at the Museum of Fine Arts and at Tufts University in Massachusetts. Some of his artwork has been displayed at the MFA and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. He has done restoration work on several historical pieces and has contributed to many public art pieces. His studio is in Woburn, Massachusetts.

We have an ever-growing database of statues, monuments, memorials, and sculptures that we hope to cover over time. If you have one you’d like to hear about, shoot us an email at newenglandonapedestal@farqie.com. If you have additional information about something we have already covered, please send it our way and perhaps we will add an addendum to a later episode.

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As always, I want to thank Jason, Jake, Sam, and Bekka for their artistic and technical help in producing this podcast and Steffani for her administrative assistance. But, most importantly, I want to thank you, the listener, for tuning in and sticking with us. Without you, there is no podcast!

Join us next episode when we venture to another New England town and dig into some local history there. Until next time, be safe, be well, be kind and keep discovering. Thanks for listening!