Richard Stratton

Captain Richard A. Stratton, USN, Ret. flew his final mission home on January 18, 2025. To the outside world he was The Beak, a member of the World Famous Golden Dragons, and a Vietnam War hero. To his family he was simply Gramps, an incredible example of unwavering faith in God and country. Born October 14, 1931 in the City of Presidents, Quincy, MA, to Loretta (Hoar) and Charles A. Stratton, Sr., Dick was educated in the Quincy public schools system, of which he was extremely proud. After honorable service in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, Dick was discharged in 1948 and entered the Catholic Seminary of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. After several years of religious studies, Dick left the seminary and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in History. He then entered the United States Navy Aviation Officer Candidate Program and was designated a Naval Aviator on March 1, 1957 thus beginning an extraordinary career. Assignments followed as a flight instructor, carrier based A4 pilot, and Flag Lieutenant. He was also assigned to Stanford University as a graduate student where he earned a Master’s degree in International Relations. 

 During his assignment to VA-192 at NAS Lemoore, LCDR Stratton deployed to Southeast Asia with CVW-19 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga from June 1966 until he was shot down and forced to eject over North Vietnam. He was taken as a Prisoner of War on January 5, 1967. After spending 2,251 days in captivity, and enduring inhumane treatment including torture, CDR Stratton was released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973. He was awarded the Silver Star for Valor, Purple Heart, and P.O.W. medal among many other military decorations and awards for his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while imprisoned by the North Vietnamese. He earned the pejorative nickname “Yankee Air Pirate” by his captors, a moniker he came to embrace with pride! 

Following his homecoming, Dick held various positions and commands across the country, including Northern California, Recruiting District New York, Recruiting Area Five at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, and the United States Naval Academy. He ended his career on July 1, 1986 as the Director of the Naval Academy Preparatory School, Newport, Rhode Island. 

Upon retirement from the Navy, Dick practiced as a clinical social worker, specializing in psychological trauma and addictions. He also served as President of NAM-POWs from 1983 to 1985, and was Chairman of the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Prisoners of War from 1989 to 1995. He stayed active in many veteran organizations ensuring their voices continued to be heard and their legacies honored.

 Dick married the love of his life, Alice Marie Robertson, on April 4, 1959 at the base chapel on board NAS Alameda, CA. They enjoyed 65 years of faith-filled marriage and were blessed with three sons in four years. Alice’s unwavering support and willingness to step forward as a leader in the effort to bring awareness to the inhumane treatment of American POW’s being held in Vietnam, was instrumental in the fight to bring them home. Theirs was a union built not only on love and strong faith, but also on mutual respect and adoration.

 Dick is predeceased by his parents and his brother, Charles A. Stratton, Jr. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sister, Ellen Todd Cooper, his sister-in-law Gerry Stratton; three sons, Patrick (Dawn), Michael (Emelda), and Charles (Joanna); and six granddaughters, Amanda (Harry), Allyson (Dylan), Elizabeth (Kyle), Ashley (Colin), Julianna, and Anneliese, and several nieces and nephews. His legacy of service to his country was carried forth by his sons Patrick and Michael, and daughter-in-law, Dawn, through their service in the United States Marine Corps and by his granddaughter Allyson and her husband, Dylan, through their service in the United States Coast Guard.

 Dick will be memorialized during a Catholic Mass at St. John’s Catholic Church, 2400 Mayport Road, Atlantic Beach, FL at 1 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 2025. Following mass there will be a reception at Johnson Hall in Fleet Landing from 2-4 p.m. Dick’s Wake and Rosary will be held Friday, January 31, 2025, from 4 to 8 pm, at Keohane Funeral Home and A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Quincy on February 1, 2025 at 11 a.m. followed by burial in Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy.

 Dick Stratton never lost faith in God, his family, or his country. Upon his release from Hanoi he stated, “I never lost faith. I knew you would bring me home!” Semper Fidelis and GBU Gramps.

  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the charities close to Dick’s heart: Quincy Foundation ℅ Colonial Federal Savings Bank 15 Beach Street, Quincy, MA 02170

 Missionary Oblates of Immaculate Mary https://oblatesusa.org/donate/