Richard Dobbyn is no stranger to the annual Dot Day parade. Born and raised in Dorchester, he marched in it as a Boy Scout at age 13. Now 78, the lifelong Dorchester resident will assume the role of chief marshal, leading the 2026 parade on June 7. The Dorchester Reporter met with him on Memorial Day weekend.
Q. What are you doing on Memorial Day in front of the Dorchester Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
A. I am reading the names of 79 heroes from Dorchester who were killed in the Vietnam War. When we read a name, we have audience members come up and take a flower. I have been doing it for 30 years.
Q. Your many roles honoring veterans today stem from your background as a veteran?
A. My father was a Second World War veteran, so when I got home in 1970, my father made sure I got involved in the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars).
Q. How did you become a veteran?
A. I dropped out of high school in 1966, joined the Marine Corps in 1968, and served in the Corps for 13 years. I had two years of active duty and almost 12 years in the Air Wing at South Weymouth.
Richard Dobbyn holds a photo showing him in Vietnam on the first night that he and his fellow Marines had access to electric light, 1969. Photo by Vina Berger
Q. Can you tell me what the process of being deployed in Vietnam without electricity was like?
A. It was horrible, probably the worst experience of my life. You never slept. You didn’t eat well. I went months without a shower. For most of the year, we lived in a pitch-black tent.
Q. How did you find out you were being sent home from Vietnam?
A. They called me and told me I was coming home, and I felt elated. We got a standing ovation the moment we got lifted off the ground. I joined the VFW when I got home. The VFW did competitions, and we marched in parades. I finally landed a job in 1975 as a bus operator for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and there were not many jobs for veterans.
Q. Out of all your experiences in the VFW, what was your most rewarding experience?
A. My most rewarding experience was marching down the street with the VFW, holding an American flag. I am excited to do it again, riding in a convertible car with my wife in the parade.
Q. Speaking of the parade, tell me about how you got selected.
A. Last year, when I was reading the names at the Dorchester Vietnam Veterans Memorial, I was approached by Col. Karen MacNutt, who is on the parade committee and was previously in the Army Reserve, and Edward Pimental, who is part of the Dorchester Vietnam Memorial Committee. They knew of my work with the VFW and how I would help people get their disabilities from the VA hospital.
Q. I know you helped fellow veterans access disability services through the VFW and the VA medical center. Could you share when and whether you have used their resources?
A. I started receiving services from them when I got my kidney transplant 21 years ago. My son, who was a Marine, gave it to me. I also have insulin-dependent diabetes, and I have atrial fibrillation.
Q. Was the kidney transplant and other subsequent health issues caused by something that happened during the war?
A. Yes. Agent Orange exposure from Vietnam. Twenty years later, I started getting sick, and had to quit my job as an MBTA bus operator. Many of the other guys from Vietnam also have diabetes and kidney issues. They sprayed that crap around; it would get into the groundwater and our drinking water.
Q. Did you know about the use of Agent Orange when you were in Vietnam?
A. We were told by our sergeant major in Vietnam that it was a spray for mosquitoes and that it was harmless. We were tricked, and the US government knew about it.
Q. Now, as you likely know, there are many veterans living with PTSD. Have ever experienced that?
A. I have adjusted very well, but I have PTSD in my medical records. I know other veterans who struggle with PTSD, too, and it helps to know I’m not the only one.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to say before the parade on June 7?
A. Well, I hope it doesn’t rain!