When Peter Collins retired from the U.S. Marine Corps after serving for 30 years, he still had the desire to pursue something that would provide service to others. This desire gave Collins the opportunity to step up as the CEO of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation this past spring. The foundation has been organizing to host an unveiling for Cleveland’s Lone Sailor Statue, which has been housed at the Great Lakes Science Center since 2021. The statue will be unveiled at 10 a.m. Oct. 12 at its new home at The Lone Sailor Plaza at Voinovich Bicentennial Park in Cleveland. The monument is intended to provide a location for special military ceremonies. It will feature two Honor Walls and Memorial Wall, which will include personalized plaques with the names of men and women who have served in the nation in America’s Sea Services, as well as significant donor names. Additionally, the event will outline forthcoming plans to commission the USS Cleveland, a Naval ship, in September 2025. The Oct. 12 ceremony will feature 3rd Battalion Marines and 25th Marines, who will provide the color guard. The Warrensville Heights High School band and Shaw High School marching band will also perform. A 72-person color guard of veterans will also be in attendance. According to the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation, the new plaza aids their mission to support positive civil-military relations by creating and maintaining a strong, meaningful and direct bond between citizens of Northeast Ohio and the crew of the new USS Cleveland. “It’s an honor to have one in Cleveland,” Collins said. “Growing up in Lake County in Kirtland, and then being in the Marine Corps for 30 years, there are a lot of folks who would crack a lot of jokes about Cleveland. Now, we have something that’s basically telling the world ‘hey, Cleveland supports the armed forces.’ ” To have the Lone Sailor in Cleveland is also an opportunity to showcase the city, as well as having the ship commissioned in Cleveland, Collins said. “I think having the ship commissioned in Cleveland will help showcase Northeast Ohio and give residents an opportunity to see something that’s a once in a lifetime experience — the commissioning of a Navy warship,” he said. “Everywhere that ship sails, it’ll be advertising Cleveland, which is important. When that ship comes back, it’ll be a showpiece.” Northeast Ohio citizens may also be reminded of the importance of military service, Collins said, and the importance of having a strong military to help defend freedoms and citizens’ way of life. “Right now, 77% of our kids between the ages of 18 and 24 are not eligible to serve due to obesity, criminal records, education, drug abuse and those types of things,” Collins observed. “We need to find a way to turn that around and maybe this will help.” Upon retiring from the Marine Corps in 2011, as a lawyer, Collins said he could have done a variety of things. However, he pursued an executive vice president position with a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., that provided support to sailors, Marines and their families. When he stepped down from that in 2020, Collins moved back to Cleveland with the intention of just sitting on boards. It was in 2021 that he started working with the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation as an honorary director and then a director prior to becoming the CEO. For Collins, it’s all about taking care of the sailors assigned to the USS Cleveland. “Shortly after the Secretary of the Navy announced the naming of the USS Cleveland, a nonprofit stood up to support the commissioning ceremony, however, that changed and they decided to do a multi-phase, multi-decade mission,” he said. “The first phase being to support the ship and start creating a relationship between the community, the ship and the Navy.” It was then that the 18th Lone Sailor Statue was obtained. “There are 19 in the world now,” Collins said. “Cleveland has the 18th one. The reason we obtained the statue was to start building that relationship between the citizens in Northeast Ohio and the USS Cleveland.” Starting with his great-great-grandfather, Thomas Collins, who served as chief of police in Ashtabula in 1889, it’s gotten into the blood of the family to serve others, Collins said. Peter Collins' great-great-grandfather, Robert Collins, middle, served as the chief of police in Ashtabula in 1889. (Peter Collins)Peter Collins' family members have served in various public service positions throughout Lake County. (Peter Collins)Show Caption1 of 2Peter Collins' great-great-grandfather, Robert Collins, middle, served as the chief of police in Ashtabula in 1889. (Peter Collins)Expand “It goes on and on,” he said. Collins’ grandfather, Robert T. Collins, served as a chief of police in Willowick for 35 years; his father, Leo R. Collins, was an attorney in Mentor for 50 years before his death in 2017; his uncle, Cliff Collins, was a lieutenant with the Willoughby Police Department while his cousin, Robert Posipanka, was a captain of the Willowick Fire Department; his other cousin, Tom Collins, is the inspector for Willoughby. “It’s in our blood to give back,” Collins said. “It’s one reason I stayed in the Marine Corps for 30 years.” What many folks don’t realize is only less than 1% of the American population is currently on active duty, Collins said. “These kids are sacrificing a lot and not getting paid a lot to do the job they’re doing, but they have a love for their fellow service members and their country,” he said. “We can at least take care of our own and take care of the crew of the USS Cleveland so they can focus on their mission.” For those who decide to serve, it’s a duty to more than just themselves, Collins said. It’s also the satisfaction of taking care of others and working with others. “It’s to know that regardless of your job in the military, it’s important, it’s that your fellow service members are relying on you, your country’s relying on you and it’s the experiences that one gains,” he said. “You can’t measure it. The kids who join are truly amazing individuals.” A couple of months ago, Collins was asked by a Marine why he decided to stay in the Marine Corps. For Collins, it was an opportunity to serve with not only Marines, but sailors. “I enjoyed working with them and being around them, and watching them grow and develop,” he said. “It had nothing to do with pay, but just that feeling you get by working with other fine Americans.” Going forward, the foundation’s intent is not just to have the ship commissioned in Cleveland, Collins said. “Once a sailor decides to leave the Navy, have the sailor consider Northeast Ohio as a place to retire,” he said. “There’s a lot of industry in Cleveland that would love to have one of these kids come work for them.”