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Honoring the Patriots on Patriots’ Day: Hopkinton Marathon Committee to Recognize Four Veterans at Start of 120th Boston Marathon

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The Hopkinton Marathon Committee will honor four veterans at the start of the 120th Boston Marathon on Patriots’ Day, April 20, 2016. Three of the veterans, Ron Clark, Ron Remillard, and Len Robbins, served in the Army in Vietnam, while Naval aviator Ben Palleiko was stationed on the USS Kitty Hawk in the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf. All Hopkinton residents, the veterans will be honored at the starter’s platform.

“The Hopkinton Marathon Committee has honored local veterans at the Boston Marathon start since 2002,” said Hopkinton Marathon Committee chairperson, Dorothy Ferriter-Wallace. “While we can never repay the veterans’ service to our country, the committee is proud to recognize veterans annually in front of a large audience as a token of our appreciation, and to acknowledge the significance of Patriots’ Day.”

Clark served as an Aviation Maintenance Officer, serving two tours in Vietnam between 1965 and 1969. He worked on the Huey combat helicopter in the Americal Division. He was a captain at the time of his Army discharge.

Palleiko, an active duty Naval aviator from 1987 until 1994, also served in the Reserves until 2002 and achieved a final rank of Lieutenant Commander. He completed more than 200 carrier landings and 40 combat missions, flying the EA-6B Prowler.

Remillard trained at Fort Dix in cryptography and electronics before deployment to Vietnam in 1962. He worked as part of the Army’s 39th Signal Batallion.

Robbins served the country from 1964 until 1966, completing Army boot camp in New Jersey before being sent to Vietnam, where he repaired helicopters.

The Hopkinton Marathon Committee was established in 1979 to work in conjunction with the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), the organizers of the Boston Marathon, to ensure that the annual running of the race is an exciting, successful and safe event for all concerned. Committee members contribute their efforts throughout the entire year to the planning, organization, and coordination of multiple facets of the race, working to protect the best interests and welfare of the town, its residents, businesses and visitors.