[1][2][b] It was decided to dedicate a park in their honor, as it would be large enough to be impressive, and it would serve those whom the veterans fought and died for back home.
[2] The committee proposed setting aside 23 acres of unattractive marshland at the corner of East Street and Eastern Avenue with the hope that it would grow more beautiful each year as a "Garden of Remembrance.
[5][d] On May 17, 1931, a memorial was unveiled at the corner of East Street and Whiting Ave with Chairman Daniel R. Beckford Jr.
[6][2][e] For the first 30 minutes of the ceremony, which began at 2:00, music was played by the American Legion's Weymouth Post Band.
[5] The monument was officially presented by Beckford and accepted by the Town by Selectman Anson H. Smith, a past commander of Post 18.
[8] He brought up the issue at Town Meeting, and newspapers around the country started running stories about how Dedham had mistakenly erected a monument to the enemies the Americans had defeated.
[9] After graduating from Dedham High School, John Andrew Barnes enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Vietnam War.
He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Dak To when he jumped on a grenade to save the lives of wounded comrades.
members from dozens of towns, and local marching bands proceeded to the intersection of East Street and Eastern Ave., where a marble monument was unveiled in Barnes' honor.