|
Who We Are And What We Do |
|
Who We Are And What We Do |
The ANA Patriot Squadron originated
in November 1992 when several members of the Association of Naval Aviation (the larger National group) living in
the Boston area who were interested in preserving the legacy of NAS Squantum and NAS South
Weymouth decided to form a local ANA affiliate, which is known as a "squadron".
The Association of Naval Aviation is a national advocacy group for all aviation forces in
the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard. The Association of Naval Aviation's mission is to educate the general
public about the overall military status of the United States, to encourage widespread
interest as to the importance of naval aviation in the defense of the United States and
its allies, to stimulate the collection, preservation, and display of historical material
concerning the history of naval aviation, and to encourage scientific and technical
development of naval aviation. The ANA Patriot Squadron is a not-for-profit organization
as defined in section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.
The ANA Patriot Squadron maintains the Shea Memorial Grove on the Southfield development,
a new mixed-use commercial/industrial/residential community presently under construction
on the site of former NAS South Weymouth in the city of Weymouth, MA. The Shea Memorial
Grove is a small park dedicated to the memory of the 32 Congressional Medal of Honor
recipients from Norfolk and Plymouth county in Massachusetts. The Shea Memorial Grove is
named for CDR John J. "Jack" Shea, USNR, the dynamic and popular executive
officer at NRAB Squantum throughout the 1930s who was killed in action when the aircraft
carrier U.S.S. Wasp was sunk off the Solomon Islands on September 15, 1942. The Shea
Memorial Grove features a tree for each Medal of Honor recipient, park benches, and an
actual Douglas A-4B Skyhawk attack aircraft that was based at NAS South Weymouth and flown
by the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve during the 1960s.
The ANA Patriot Squadron is also working to establish a permanent museum, the Shea Field
Naval Aviation Historical Museum, dedicated to preserving the history and traditions of
NAS Squantum and NAS South Weymouth on the SouthField development. The group currently
operates the museum from temporary quarters in the former Navy Shea Fitness Center
building at the SouthField development but will move into permanent quarters at some point
within the next few years as the SouthField development progresses. At the present time
the museum is open by appointment only.
