Bands, veterans groups act as house-warming party
Marine Sergeant Joshua Bouchard, center, is greeted by his mother Mary Ann Hafford of CT, left, during a parade leading to Sgt Bouchard's new home in Granby on January 12, 2013. Homes for Our Troops and A. Crane Construction partnered together to build the home after Bouchard was badly injured in Afghanistan in 2009.
SARAH CROSBY Purchase photo reprints »Marine Sergeant Joshua Bouchard sheds tears of happiness while being interviewed by Channel 3 News inside his new home on January 12, 2013. Homes for Our Troops and A. Crane Construction partnered together to build the home after Bouchard was badly injured in Afghanistan in 2009.
SARAH CROSBY Purchase photo reprints »
GRANBY — The outpouring of community support for a specially adapted home for Marine Sgt. Joshua Bouchard, who was seriously injured fighting in Afghanistan, was matched by the outpouring of people who made his official homecoming on Saturday something grand.
Bouchard arrived at his new Chicopee Street home in a motorcade that included local and state police cars, a Granby fire engine and members of the Patriot Guard Riders.
Members of the Holyoke Caledonian Pipe Band, Quaboag Highlanders and Melha Highlanders played “Tunes of Glory” and the U.S. Marine Corps anthem as Bouchard wheeled down the curved driveway, lined with military veterans holding American flgas.
Members of American Legion posts 338 of Southwick and 293 of East Longmeadow attendend, along with Chester Papineau from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Northampton.
Vietnam Veterans of Western Massachusetts Chapter 111, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 92 of Florence, and the Western Massachusetts Military Order of Purple Hearts Chapter 875 also attended. Representatives from several chapters of the Marine Corps League formed an honor guard.
Before entering his new home, Bouchard raised an American flag on the flagpole in front of his new home, assisted by members of Boy Scout Troop 306 and Venture Crew 304, along with Cub Scout Pack 34, all of Granby.
All the Scouts raised funds for the flag and flagpole, assisted by Cub Scout Pack 23 of Taunton, according to Tammy Bibeau of Granby, Venture Crew adviser.
“This is my school bus route,” Bibeau said. “When I saw (volunteer builders) putting up the Homes for Our Troops sign, I thought this was a good project for our Scouts.”
— ETTA WALSH
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