In Stafford County, Virginia, a special ceremony was held to honor the memory of two brave brothers who served in World War II. Pfc. Marvin Boutchyard and Cpl. Mercer Boutchyard both met unfortunate ends while fighting for their country, but their legacy will live on through a memorial ceremony held in their honor.
During the ceremony, Marshal Boutchyard, a distant cousin of the fallen brothers, paid tribute to them. He had been unable to find much information about their service until he attended the memorial ceremony and met with Stafford Community Engagement Director Shannon Eubanks. Eubanks had also been researching the history of the fallen soldiers and was able to provide more details about their service thanks to information found on a grave at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.
Eubanks discovered that Pfc. Boutchyard was stationed in Europe and was part of the D-Day invasion, where he survived an initial assault on the beach but later died from wounds sustained during his service. A year later, Cpl. Boutchyard also died from wounds suffered during the battle of Okinawa in the Pacific Theater. The story of these brave soldiers inspired Eubanks to create a memorial honoring them and their sacrifices.
As she worked on creating the memorial, Eubanks realized that there were still many questions left unanswered about Pfc. Boutchyard’s service in particular. With help from other family members like Marshal Boutchyard and Darien Boutchyard, she was able to piece together more details about his time abroad and his heroic efforts during D-Day.”Not only did they make it up the beach and rappelled up
