South Boston Medal of Honor Walk

(14 reviews)

Boston, Massachusetts audio tour: South Boston Medal of Honor Walk

This is a 3.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Boston, Massachusetts

The United States

$5.99

Access all 17 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

A group of student veterans from the University of Massachusetts Boston take you on a walk of South Boston's war memorials, honoring the courage and sacrifice of New England's military veterans. Walk from the Seaport District, across the Commonwealth Flats, to the tip of Castle Island in the Boston Harbor. Learn about prominent sites in South Boston's military history, while hearing five Congressional Medal of Honor recipients share their stories: Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts, Colonel Jack Jacobs, Colonel Harvey Barnum, Captain Thomas Kelley, and Captain Thomas Hudner.

The stories you'll hear were produced by UMass Boston student veterans — Lancelot Chamberlain, Merita Dallta, Halana Espindula da Cunha, Shelita Hayes, Nathanael Haynes, Nathan Heilman, Casandra Najdul, Caleb Nelson, Marc Purdham, Joseph Satterthwaite, Scott Stroh, and Christopher Weindorf—as part of a course called Oral History and the Veteran Experience, taught by Professor Erin Anderson.

This walk was produced in honor of the Medal of Honor Convention, held in Boston in September 2015, with support from UMass Boston's English Department, Office of Community Relations, Office of Veterans Affairs, and WUMB Radio.

Cover image courtesy of Joe Dunckley.

Tour Producer

UMass Boston Student Veterans

1 tour

We're a group of student veterans at the University of Massachusetts Boston. We worked together to produce this project as part of a course called "Oral History and the Veteran Experience," taught by Professor Erin Anderson in Fall 2015.

Lancelot Chamberlain, Merita Dallta, Halana Espindula da Cunha, Shelita Hayes, Nathanael Haynes, Nathan Heilman, Casandra Najdul, Caleb Nelson, Marc Purdham, Joseph Satterthwaite, Scott Stroh, and Christopher Weindorf.

Preview Location

Location 1

Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial (future site)

Welcome to the South Boston Medal of Honor Walk. I'm Caleb, and I’m a student at UMass Boston and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Together with my fellow student veterans, I'll be taking you on a storytelling walk of South Boston war memorials, honoring the courage and sacrifice o... Welcome to the South Boston Medal of Honor Walk. I'm Caleb, and I’m a student at UMass Boston and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Together with my fellow student veterans, I'll be taking you on a storytelling walk of South Boston war memorials, honoring the courage and sacrifice of New England’s military veterans.

This roughly 3-mile walk will take you from the Seaport District, across the Commonwealth Flats, out to the tip of Castle Island in the Boston Harbor. Along the way, you’ll pass by prominent sites in South Boston’s military history, including memorials to those who lost their lives in four U.S. wars: The Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As you walk, you’ll hear the stories of five local veterans who fought in these wars—and who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for extraordinary acts of valor: Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts, Colonel Jack Jacobs, Colonel Harvey Barnum, Captain Thomas Kelley, and Captain Thomas Hudner. We are honored for the opportunity to speak with these courageous veterans and to share their stories with you.

Before we get started, I'll tell you how the walk will work. VoiceMap uses your location to play commentary automatically. The walk is about an hour and a half long, and we'll give you directions to keep you on track. There'll be some quiet stretches along the way, and as you reach relevant sites, the stories will come to you. If you feel lost, take a quick look at the map on your screen to make sure you're on track, but otherwise, you can just put your phone away and focus on your surroundings.

Thanks for joining us. Now I'll turn things over to Shelita to get the walk started.

I’m Shelita, and I’m a veteran of the U.S. Army. Our walk begins right where you’re standing, at the future site of the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial, currently under construction in the lot next to District Hall. Boston firefighters, police, veterans, Gold Star Families, and other patriotic citizens established this memorial to honor the brave servicemen and women of Massachusetts who died fighting in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. While it may not look like much now, when it’s complete, the memorial will include a 50-foot obelisk and a new public space here in South Boston’s Seaport Square Park.

Now, start walking down Northern Avenue, keeping the grassy area to your left, and the memorial site to your right. As you walk, I'll tell you a bit more about the Medal of Honor and what it means.

The Medal of Honor is awarded by the President on behalf of Congress, and it recognizes U.S. service members who’ve showed outstanding valor in combat. Stretching back to the Civil War, it’s America’s highest military honor.

As of May 2015, twelve veterans have received Medals of Honor for their service in the War in Afghanistan. Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts is one of them. As you continue on to Seaport Blvd, Sandy will introduce you to his story. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

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Major Landmarks

Massachusetts Iraq and Afghanistan Fallen Heroes Memorial
South Boston Vietnam Veterans Memorial
South Boston Korean War Memorial

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
85 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210, USA
Total distance

5km
Final location
1997-1999 William J Day Blvd, Boston, MA 02127, USA
Distance back to start location

3km

Directions to Starting Point

Start outside of Gather restaurant at District Hall (75 Northern Avenue), across the street from the Institute for Contemporary Art. Take the Red Line to South Station, walk across the Congress Street Bridge, and take a left on Boston Wharf Road (15 minutes walk). Paid parking is available in the adjacent lot on Northern Avenue.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

BREW Coffee Bar, Harpoon Brewery, Sullivan's Restaurant, Fort Independence

Best time of day

Daylight hours

Precautions

Beware of windy conditions along Pleasure Bay.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

4.2 / 5

14 Ratings

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