The Veterans Memorial Committee was established in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War. The committee was formed to create a fitting memorial to the Cohasset men who were giving their lives in Vietnam. In 1970, the committee designed and built the memorial that now stands at Veterans Park at Cohasset Harbor. The park features a memorial wall listing the Cohasset men who served in WWI, WWII, Korea and those that lost their lives in Vietnam.

In 1995, the Veterans Memorial Committee selected and named squares and parks in town to the memory of the eight Cohasset men who sacrificed their lives in Vietnam. At that time, we also dedicated a square to the only Cohasset man who died in Korea. Each square was dedicated during ceremonies held on Veterans Day, 1996. In total, the town has named 22 places in honor of the Cohasset men who made the supreme sacrifice for their country.

A large monument was constructed at the Woodside Cemetery in 2001, honoring the Gold Star Mothers of Cohasset (these are mothers who have lost sons or daughters while serving their country). The memorial is unique in size and scope, consisting of an eight foot tall mother stone flanked by twenty-two stones inscribed with the names of both mother and son. This memorial serves as a powerful reminder of the high price the little town of Cohasset paid for the cause of freedom.

In 2002, we were asked to help complete the troubled Civil War, WWI and WWII War memorials at Veterans Park. A group of WWII veterans had undertaken the task of raising nearly $100,000 to construct the memorial; however, the project was trouble from the start with differing opinions of what names should be engraved on the memorial, and the engraved stones that were delivered were not the correct size for the memorial wall. The Veterans Memorial Committee became involved and resolved these complications and completed the project at a cost of $30,000, gratefully received from the taxpayers of Cohasset.

We have recently completed a monument at Veterans Park to honor the Cohasset men and Women that have served during the Korean, Vietnam, Gulf War and the War on Terror.  The 60′ diameter fieldstone and gray granite, is sunken into the ground preserving the harbor vistas.  It is the focal point and finishing piece of the Veterans Park begun in the mid 1960’s.  The panels on the new memorial list the names of the over 600 Cohasset Men and Women that have served in these wars.

Glenn Pratt, Chairman – info@cohassetveteransmemorial.com