A poignant ceremony was held in Stafford County, Virginia, on Friday to honor two brothers who lost their lives while serving in World War II. Marshal Boutchyard, a distant cousin of Cpl. Mercer Boutchyard and Pfc. Marvin Boutchyard, attended the memorial service to pay tribute to them. The event brought together members of the Boutchyard family and allowed them to complete the story of their relatives’ service.
Pfc. Boutchyard was stationed in Europe and played an integral role in the D-Day invasion. He was one of just 30 men in his company of 65 who survived after making it across the beach. “Not only did they make it up the beach and rappel up the cliffs, they freed two or three more towns just in the first day,” Stafford Community Engagement Director Shannon Eubanks said. Unfortunately, Pfc. Boutchyard died a week later from wounds he sustained on the battlefield. A year later, in the Pacific Theater, Cpl. Boutchyard also lost his life due to wounds suffered during the battle of Okinawa.
Eubanks played a key role in creating the memorial that honors fallen veterans like Pfc. and Cpl. Boutchyard. She helped research more about the Boutchyard family after visiting the Normandy American Cemetery in France and spotting their name on a gravestone. “I saw a very unusual name – Marvin Boutchyard – which I knew was one of our fallen heroes,” Eubanks said. “I quickly looked it up and found out that it was indeed our Marvin.” This discovery motivated her to create a memorial that would honor these brave soldiers and keep their stories alive for future generations to remember their sacrifices.
Marshal Boutchyard is currently serving in the Army National Guard but will be deploying overseas this summer as part of his duties with his unit. As he prepares for this mission, he plans to continue telling his relatives’ stories so that others can learn from their bravery and sacrifice.
In conclusion, this special ceremony held on Friday honored two brave brothers who gave up everything for our country during World War II while serving as part of D-Day invasion forces and losing their lives during battles fought on different continents – Europe and Pacific theater respectively . It is important that we never forget about such sacrifices made by our military personnel for our safety & freedom
