Why Memorial Day Hits Close to Home in Boynton Beach
Boynton Beach Has A Hidden Military History Many Locals Don’t Know
Memorial Day serves as a reminder that Boynton Beach has deep military and veteran connections stretching back more than a century. The city itself was named after Major Nathan S. Boynton, a Union Army Civil War veteran who later helped establish the community in the late 1800s. Major Boynton rose from private to major during the Civil War before eventually traveling to South Florida and purchasing land that would later become Boynton Beach.
During World War II, the waters just offshore of Boynton Beach became part of the dangerous Atlantic shipping corridor known as “Torpedo Junction,” where German U-boats attacked merchant ships traveling along the Florida coast. Residents sometimes reported seeing burning vessels offshore as the war reached South Florida waters.
Today, thousands of veterans call Boynton Beach home, including former service members from several conflicts, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, and, more recently, the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Boynton Beach continues to honor veterans through annual ceremonies and memorial events hosted by the Boynton Beach Veterans Task Force and local organizations.
Nearby, the South Florida National Cemetery in western Lake Worth currently has more than 33,000 graves and interments, according to recent records, and serves as a final resting place for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Opened in 2007, it was designed to meet the needs of the area for 50 years due to our region’s very large veteran population.
Today, local residents will once again gather to remember the men and women who gave their lives while serving the nation and to reflect on the military history that remains woven into Boynton Beach’s story.
The Boynton Weekly thanks these heroes for the service and sacrifice they gave.
