“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference. The U.S. Marines don’t have that problem.”
~ Ronald Reagan
Applications are now available to Charlestown students applying for the annual Lt. Michael P. Quinn 2025 Scholarship. All applications are due by April 15. The following requirements must be adhered to apply for the $20,000 scholarship:
1) Applicant must be resident of Charlestown for the past four years
2) Applicant must be a graduate of the Class of 2025.
Other stipulations include that the scholarship can be used only for the first year of college. Applications can be picked up at the Guidance Departments of Charlestown High School, Boys’ and Girls Club, Charlestown Library, Malden Catholic High School, and Boston Latin And Boston Latin Academy, and can be downloaded at www.quinnscholarship.org. The application deadline is April 15, 2025.
If there are questions regarding the scholarship, please call Ronan Fitzpatrick at 617-242-5493 or email [email protected]
The annual Quinn Scholarship Dinner Dance will be held on April 5, 2025, at the Bunker Hill Knights of Columbus Hall, 545 Medford St., Charlestown, MA commencing at 6:15 P.M.
Last year’s 2024 Quinn Scholar, Julia Pistorino, will be also honored. Julia is currently attending Connecticut College, and is scheduled to graduate with the class of 2028. The featured speaker for the dinner is Brigadier General Matthew Tracy, Commanding General, Educational Command and President, Marine Corps University, U.S.M.C..
This year’s program book will be dedicated to Leo J Breen and John J Pierce, departed buddies of the Quinn Organization.
The ultimate sacrifice
August 29, 1969: As “H Company” platoon leaders huddled in the darkness of the Quang Nam Province in South Vietnam, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Michael Quinn was tasked with leading his infantry unit on a reconnaissance mission to seek a water supply and identify enemy troop movement. Stealthily executing their directive, Quinn and his troops happened upon a large invading enemy force heading in the direction of “H Company.” Realizing that the only way to alert his fellow marines of the dire situation was to draw fire on his position, Quinn dispatched members of his unit back to “H Company” and engaged the enemy. While that fateful decision resulted in Lt. Michael Quinn making the “ultimate sacrifice,” it also prevented the loss of many lives.
Fellow Marine John Krga recalls: “I had the honor and privilege of serving under Lt. Mike and remember that fateful day all too well as a group of us volunteered to retrieve him, hoping he was still alive. I am not surprised to see that Mike’s memory lives on through the people he touched just as he lives on in me.”
Lt. Michael P. Quinn was recognized for his bravery and awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart and is honored on Panel 18W, Row 8 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.
A life remembered
Noted for his academic and athletic achievement, Michael Quinn accomplished so much in his 23 years. He was a product of his Walford Way, working-class upbringing where looking out for your neighbor, respecting elders, hard work and “having your friend’s back” were ingrained in him at an early age.
Michael graduated from Boston Latin High School and the College of the Holy Cross where he captained the football and hockey teams and achieved Hall of Fame status at both institutions establishing a reputation as a ferocious competitor.
After graduating from college, Michael attended Officer Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia and finished first in his class. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968, assigned to “H” Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division and deployed to Vietnam.
To continue Mike’s legacy, the Lt. Michael P. Quinn Scholarship was established in 1969 by his friends (most notably Eddie Johnson, Stephen Driscoll and Ronan FitzPatrick) and family and more than $250,000 has been awarded to “Townie” high school graduates looking to pursue a college education. While the anguish of Michael’s loss is palbable so many years after his passing, the inspiration of his legacy – recounted annually by Quinn Scholarship committee members and esteemed guest speakers – is truly special.