NORTON —
When he wasn’t flying combat missions or working locally as a test
pilot, John W. Lincoln spent most of his life around Lake Winnecunnet in
Norton.
When Lincoln died at age 77 in 2000, the decorated World War II and Korean War veteran was buried in a family plot in the Winnecennet Cemetery just down the road from the lake and his home.
Now, members of Lincoln’s family hope to have a small town bridge next to the lake named in his honor, to recognize his year’s of service and sacrifice.
“His contributions to the country is the first reason,” said Mark Lincoln, his nephew. “Then there is the fact that he grew up right here and spent his earlier years here and his later years here. ... By naming this bridge in his honor it would forever recognize his years of service and sacrifice.”
After going through his uncle’s military records to create a summary of his service, Mark Lincoln mailed a letter to the Norton Board of Selectmen in early November, requesting their support and approval to name the bridge in memory of the former Marine Corps colonel. So far he has not received a response.
The letter explains that the intent is to draw attention to those who served in World War II, to inspire others who see the bridge to learn about Lincoln and others who served. Mark Lincoln also said the bridge has signifigance because it was constructed as part of the war effort during World War II, to accomodate traffic going into the Camp Myles Standish Army base.
"In the future there will be those who will see his name and wonder who was this military person,” the letter said. “Hopefully some of them will do the research and better understand the contributions that the ‘Greatest Generation’ made to this great country.”
The Norton Board of Selectmen’s Office did not respond to a reporter’s request for comment on the matter.
Mark Lincoln said his uncle flew in more than 120 combat missions during World War II and the Korean War. Lincoln received several military accolades, including five Distinguished Flying Cross awards, the Air Medal with eight stars, the Purple Heart and three Presidential Unit Citations.
Lincoln was a Taunton native who graduated from Taunton High School in 1940 before entering the service as a Naval Aviation Cadet in 1942 after two-years of college. Lincoln also worked as a defense lawyer, after being admitted to the state bar in Massachusetts.
When Lincoln died at age 77 in 2000, the decorated World War II and Korean War veteran was buried in a family plot in the Winnecennet Cemetery just down the road from the lake and his home.
Now, members of Lincoln’s family hope to have a small town bridge next to the lake named in his honor, to recognize his year’s of service and sacrifice.
“His contributions to the country is the first reason,” said Mark Lincoln, his nephew. “Then there is the fact that he grew up right here and spent his earlier years here and his later years here. ... By naming this bridge in his honor it would forever recognize his years of service and sacrifice.”
After going through his uncle’s military records to create a summary of his service, Mark Lincoln mailed a letter to the Norton Board of Selectmen in early November, requesting their support and approval to name the bridge in memory of the former Marine Corps colonel. So far he has not received a response.
The letter explains that the intent is to draw attention to those who served in World War II, to inspire others who see the bridge to learn about Lincoln and others who served. Mark Lincoln also said the bridge has signifigance because it was constructed as part of the war effort during World War II, to accomodate traffic going into the Camp Myles Standish Army base.
"In the future there will be those who will see his name and wonder who was this military person,” the letter said. “Hopefully some of them will do the research and better understand the contributions that the ‘Greatest Generation’ made to this great country.”
The Norton Board of Selectmen’s Office did not respond to a reporter’s request for comment on the matter.
Mark Lincoln said his uncle flew in more than 120 combat missions during World War II and the Korean War. Lincoln received several military accolades, including five Distinguished Flying Cross awards, the Air Medal with eight stars, the Purple Heart and three Presidential Unit Citations.
Lincoln was a Taunton native who graduated from Taunton High School in 1940 before entering the service as a Naval Aviation Cadet in 1942 after two-years of college. Lincoln also worked as a defense lawyer, after being admitted to the state bar in Massachusetts.
“He was really a gung-ho guy,” Mark Lincoln said. “I don’t know if you’d say fearless, but he certainly projected that type of image in whatever he was doing, from whether it was the military or his performance in the courtroom defending his clients. He was also very caring.”
Mark Lincoln, who now lives in the home that his uncle grew up in Taunton on the Norton line, said that his uncle was also a family man. After his first wife died in 1971, he later married again to a divorced women with eight children, bringing along his four children for a Brady Bunch-like situation.
“Together they had 12 but they still seemed to manage well,” Mark Lincoln said. “Blood was thicker than water. That’s where his head was, no matter the situation.”
Mark Lincoln gave an anecdote about how his uncle, while stationed in South Weymouth, took a helicopter and landed by Lake Winnecunnet to take relatives for a little ride.
However, John Lincoln did not share stories with his family about his military exploits.
“Like many others of that era he rarely spoke about any of his combat history,” Mark Lincoln said.
However, one of his stories was documented in a colorful true life comic book series that is held at the Old Colony Historical Society in Taunton. The nonfiction “Heroic Comic” no. 85 was published in July 1953 by New York-based Famous Funnies publications.
Then Maj. John Lincoln was featured in an episode called “Incident at the Bridge,” about a combat mission flown over Chunchon, Korea, in which the fighter-bomber he was flying was hit and he was wounded but still continued on. Lincoln was then given a target, an underwater bridge with a large number of enemy troops traveling over it, and took it out, according to the account.
“Disregarding his wounds, Lincoln went back, in the face of heavy enemy fire,” the comic says. “Repeatedly he hit the bridge. ... Only when the bridge was destroyed and an estimated 75 to 100 of the enemy were killed did he call it a halt.”
Mark Lincoln said he has received support for the bridge dedication request from state representatives Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, and Shaunna O’Connell, R-Taunton.
Mark Lincoln said that his uncle was also known in military circles for his involvement in two water landings, including one in the Pacific in 1944. He said his uncle’s squadron encountered weather that disabled the navigation equipment on the aircraft, causing them to get lost and run low on fuel.
While several others died in the incident, Lincoln was one of the survivors who were stranded on life rafts before being collected by an American destroyer.
“He spent much of his life seeing the world, serving our country,” Mark Lincoln said.
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