By Carol Britton Meyer

The late Richard I. “Butch” Neal, a Hull native and retired four-star Marine Corps general, will be honored on Veterans Day when the unnamed section street on the north side of the war memorial will be named “General Neal Way” at the request of the War Memorial Commission.

The dedication will take place on Friday, Nov. 11, with more details to come after the Select Board supported the request this week. Neal died on June 17, just three days prior to his 80th birthday.

The commission voted to request naming the section of road, an extension of Phipps Street which connects Samoset Avenue and Nantasket Avenue at Monument Square, at its meeting last month. Chair Paul Dunphy attended Wednesday’s select board meeting and noted that three members of the commission grew up with Neal.

“He’s another Hull kid who made good,” he said. “We have our own four-star general.”

After graduating from Hull High School, Neal continued his education at Northeastern University, majoring in history and education. Following his graduation from college in 1965, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

During the next 35 years, Neal served two tours in Vietnam. While serving in the Marines, Neal graduated from the National War College and earned his M.Ed. from Tulane University.

During Operation Desert Storm, he served as the Deputy Director of Operations under General Norman Schwarzkopf, as well as Central Command Briefer, where he could be seen daily at national press briefings updating the country on the Persian Gulf War. He was promoted to four-star general in 1996 and appointed Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Neal’s decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star Medal with Gold Star, the Defense Superior Service Medal with Palm, Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V,” Purple Heart, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.

Following retirement from the Marine Corps, Neal served as a senior mentor in the Marines and as a senior fellow for the National Defense University’s Capstone Course, which includes the training of all newly selected brigadier generals and rear admirals.

Select Board Chair Jennifer Constable thanked Dunphy for his service and his “consistent support of [his] fellow servicemen.”

Select Board member Domenico Sestito acknowledged Neal’s service to our country.

“It’s an honor to live in the same town that he lived in,” he said.