LYNN — Nearly two decades in a Chinese prison could not break Richard Fecteau. On Wednesday, April 30, the city of Lynn honored his extraordinary sacrifice and quiet strength with a moving rededication ceremony at the newly upgraded Richard Fecteau Park at Flax Pond.
Fecteau, now 98, was in attendance alongside family members and dozens of veterans, residents, and public officials. The new monument features a larger granite structure with engraved details about his service, informational panels, and dual flagpoles bearing the American and CIA flags — a sharp contrast to the small, easily missed stone marker that once sat nearby.
“This is a very special day,” said Al DiVirgilio, who helped spearhead the effort along with veterans Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Oswald and Charlie Griffin. “Lynn is a community of hardworking, humble people who don’t look for recognition or fame, and Richard Fecteau represents the best of us.”
Born and raised in Lynn, Fecteau graduated from Lynn Classical High School and Boston University before joining the CIA. In 1952, at just 25 years old, he was captured on his first mission when his C-47 was shot down during a covert attempt to extract an asset in Manchuria. He spent 19 years imprisoned by the Chinese government, including two years in leg irons and much of it in solitary confinement.
His resilience became legendary. At the rededication, David Welker, a representative from the CIA, described how Fecteau gave his captors the names of his Boston University football teammates instead of revealing the identities of fellow CIA officers. “Richard repeatedly rose to the challenge,” Welker said. “His story is not just one of suffering, but of fidelity — of faithfulness to duty, to his oath, and to this nation.”
Mayor Jared C. Nicholson also delivered remarks, reflecting on the deeper meaning of Fecteau’s ordeal. “When someone is pushed to the absolute limits of human experience, you ask: what kept them going? The answer, I believe, is love — love of family, of country, of community. And Mr. Fecteau embodies that.”
The rededication ceremony included a color guard presentation by the Lynn Police and Fire departments, ROTC students from Lynn English, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Department. Deacon William Jackson gave a blessing for the monument and all who served, and musical performances, including a rendition of “Ragged Old Flag,” underscored the event’s emotional gravity.
Fecteau himself offered brief remarks: “I want to thank all of you. It’s awfully nice of you to show up. When I was first told about this, I thought maybe the mayor would be there. But to come down and see all this, it means a lot. Lynn is my hometown. It always will be.”
His niece, Dianne, added, “Even if he’s not physically in Lynn anymore, his heart will always be here.”
In closing, DiVirgilio credited the effort to a true community coalition: “Lynn is a city where one phone call can make something happen. This is what community looks like.”
The upgraded park and monument now stand not only as a tribute to Richard Fecteau’s unmatched courage, but also as a reminder of the power of resilience, humility, and collective memory.
