100-year-old veteran to be honored at Plymouth parade
By Jennifer Eagan
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KINGSTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Surrounded by his family and memories stretching back a century, John Tura said he feels grateful.
“I’m blessed,” the Kingston resident said as he looked back on his 100 years — a life defined by service, family, and hard work.
Tura and his wife have been married 71 years, raising four children in the Cape-style home where he has lived for decades.
“It was busy… very busy,” he recalled with a laugh. Staying busy, he said, is part of the reason he’s reached such a milestone.
On Saturday, Tura will be honored as Citizen of the Year during America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration in Plymouth. Tura was chosen, in part, for his military service.
A veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, he enlisted in the Navy in 1943 at just 18 years old and was deployed to the Pacific.
Looking at an old photograph, Tura paused.
“That’s me. I was 18, 19 years old. Oh my God,” he said.
During the war, his crew was tasked with meeting damaged ships at sea, making temporary repairs, and getting them safely back to the shipyard.
“A ship was banged up during the war and needed repairs,” he remembered. “Our job was to go out and meet that ship, make temporary repairs, and get them back.”
At his daughter’s home in Plymouth, Tura sifted through the artifacts of his service — a Navy bracelet, identification cards, and his dog tags.
During the visit, officials from the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services stopped by to present Tura with a centennial coin, honoring him for his decades of patriotism.
“You’re part of the greatest generation,” one official told him. “Your legacy of patriotism is truly one of a kind.”
In Saturday’s parade, Tura will ride with his wife, children, and great-grandson — a moment his family says will be deeply meaningful.
“I’m so lucky to have the family that I have,” Tura said.
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