The Department of Defense on Thursday announced the death of Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges of Ludlow, who killed while serving in Afghanistan.

LUDLOW - The Department of Defense on Thursday announced the death of Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges of Ludlow, who killed while serving in Afghanistan.

Desforges, 23,, was killed Wednesday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

He was one of two Marines killed Wednesday in the same area of Afghanistan during combat operations, the Defense Department announced.

The other was identified as Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, 23, of Fredericksburg, Va., who was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Marine Sgt Joshua Desforges, 23, died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, which is the southwest corner of Afghanistan.

This is an update of a story that was first posted at 7:37 p.m.

Joshua D. DesforgesLUDLOW - Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges of Ludlow was killed Wednesday in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced on Thursday.

A Defense Department release said Desforges, 23, died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, which is the southwest corner of Afghanistan, roughly 100 miles west of the city of Qandahar. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

He was one of two Marines killed Wednesday in the same area of Afghanistan during combat operations, the Defense Department announced.

The other was identified as Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II, 23, of Fredericksburg, Va., who was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Desforges was a 2004 graduate of Ludlow Senior High School.

Prior to enlisting in the Marines, Desforges was a member of the Westover Young Marines program, based in East Longmeadow.

He is the third soldier with local ties killed in Afghanistan and the 22 overall killed in combat in either Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003.

He was also friends with Marine Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson, 19, of Enfield, Conn., who was killed Sept. 3, 2006 in a roadside attack west of Baghdad, Iraq.

Both served together in the Westover Young Marines program.

At Johnson’s funeral on Aug. 14, 2006, Desforges told a Republican reporter that his friend was enthusiastic about the Marines and excited to be going to combat. “I told him ‘be safe’,” he said.

Donald Couture, the Ludlow director of veterans services, said he has been in contact with Desforges’ parents, David and Arlene Desforges of West Street, and they indicated the family wishes to be left alone for the time being to deal with their grief.

No funeral arrangements have been set and it is not clear when his body will return to the area, Couture said.

Jacob Oliveira, a member of the Ludlow School Committee, was a classmate of Joshua Desforges at Ludlow High School. They both graduated in 2004.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks when I heard,” Oliveira said. “I grew up with Josh, went to Middle School and high school with him and I went to his deployment party on West Street.

“It’s surreal that he’s gone,” he said.

Oliveira said his father, Richard Oliveira, was Desforges’ math teacher at Ludlow High School , and he said his father said Desforges always brightened the room when he walked into class.

“He was a fun-loving kid,” Jacob Oliveira said of Desforges. He said he became very serious about joining the Marines and serving his country.

“He has become a hero to me and my classmates,” Oliveira said.

“This is a small community,” Oliveira added. He said Desforges’ mother is a para-professional at Veterans Park Elementary School in town.

Oliveira said the last time he saw Desforges was a few years ago at a Memorial Day parade. “This year we will be honoring him,” he said.

Suzanne McLaughlin contributed to this report


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"He was a leader, and he was the bravest person we ever knew," his family said in a prepared statement released by the office of U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

Photo by George Graham / The RepublicanA sign outside Ludlow High School Friday pays tribute to Marine Sgt. Joshua Desforges, who was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
This is a 4:45 p.m. update of a story published at 2:07 this afternoon.

The late Joshua D. Deforges is seen in his uniform.

LUDLOW –When Frank Evangelista, owner of Frank’s Diner on East Street, thinks of the late Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges he thinks of a smiling young man in a Santa Claus hat.

That memory comes from a time, perhaps a year or more ago, when the 2004 Ludlow High School graduate walked into the dinner with a buddy collecting donations for the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots program.

Desforges was killed Wednesday in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced on Thursday.

“The brave young men and women who voluntarily serve in our armed forces have the respect and gratitude of our entire nation, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., said from Washington in a prepared statement. “Sgt. Desforges was a courageous and charismatic native of Ludlow who joined the United States Marine Corps to defend our cherished freedom in the first line of defense. He performed his duties with honor and distinction. ... . Our country can never repay the debt we owe him and his family for their extraordinary sacrifice.

Sgt. Joshua Desforges was recalled yesterday as a natural leader, a great friend and a born Marine as friends and family from Ludlow grappled with his death during combat in Afghanistan

This is an update of a story first posted at 2:07 p.m.

The late Joshua D. Deforges is seen in his uniform.LUDLOW –When Frank Evangelista, owner of Frank’s Diner on East Street, thinks of the late Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges he remembers a smiling young man in a Santa Claus hat.

A few years ago around Christmas time, Desforges, a Ludlow native, and a buddy came into the diner to seek donations for the U.S. Marines’ Toy for Tots program.

Desforges had a smile on his face and a Santa hat on his head, he recalled.

He was a happy-go-lucky kid ... a nice kid, a good kid,” Evangelista said.

Throughout Ludlow, Western Massachusetts and the larger fraternity of Marines, there was a shared sadness as news spread of Desforges’ death Wednesday in a remote section of Afghanistan.

Desforges, 23, a 6-year veteran of the Marine Corps, died “as a result of a hostile incident while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan,” according a statement issued by the 2nd Division Office of Public Affairs.

He was a squad leader assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward. He was midway through his second tour in Afghanistan, having been deployed there in December, the statement read. His previous tour was March through September, 2008.

A statement issued by his parents, David and Arlene Desforges of West Street on Friday afternoon through the office of Sen. John F. Kerry, said “We mourn the death of Sgt. Joshua Desforges, - a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, and American hero - but most of all, our best friend.”

The statement goes on to ask people respect the family’s wish for privacy in the coming days as it grieves his loss.

The statement also notes that Desforges died living his life’s dream, which was to be a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.

“It was his calling in life and like everything else, he took to it at full throttle. Josh loved being a Marine,” the statement said.

“In the Marines, in Afghanistan, he was Sgt. Desforges. At home he was Josh, our boy,” the statement said. “To call him a hero just doesn’t seem enough.”

Sgt. Major Edward C. Mitrook of the Westover Young Marine program, who met Desforges when he joined the program at age 12, said that since the news of his death began spreading, he has drained the battery on his cell phone fielding calls from his friends all over the country.

“I’ve gotten a lot of calls from his friends in the program and in the Marine Corps,” said Mitrook of East Longmeadow. “He was a good kid.”

Photo by George Graham / The RepublicanPhoto by George Graham / The Republican | A sign outside Ludlow High School pays tribute to Marine Sgt. Joshua Desforges In Ludlow, flags flew at half mast. The message board outside Ludlow High School honored Desforges, a 2004 graduate. “Semper Fi - Sgt. Desforges - Our Hero.”

Semper Fi is short for the Marine Corps motto: “Semper Fidelis,” which is Latin for “always faithful.”

Mitrook said Desforges was that and more; he was born to be a Marine.

“Josh was one of those kids. When he was 5-6 years old, that was his big thing - he wanted to go into the Marines.”

And as soon as he graduated from high school in 2004, Mitrook said, he did.

He joined the Marine Corps in September 2004, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant on January 1, 2008.

In his time in the Marines, Desforges earned several commendations, including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal.

A statement issued by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, praised Desforges as the finest example of the men and women who make up the country’s all-volunteer military.

“Sgt. Desforges was a courageous and charismatic native of Ludlow who joined the United States Marine Corps to defend our cherished freedom in the first line of defense,” Neal said.

“Our country can never repay the debt we owe him and his family for their extraordinary sacrifice,” he said.

In Ludlow, Desforges’ death, the first combat-related death of any town resident since Vietnam, was a jarring reminder that a war on the other side of the world can also be right next door.

Evangelista said it was all that anyone talked about Friday in his diner.

“Kids are dying over there,” Evangelista “People are sad that it happened and it’s continuing.”

Donald J. Couture, director of Veterans Services, said he has yet to talk with the family, but is available to help in any way.

“The town of Ludlow is offering all it’s support,” he said.

Desforges is the first town resident killed in action since Lance Cpl. Douglas Walker, a helicopter pilot, who was shot down in Vietnam in 1968, Couture said.

“And hopefully he will be the last,” he said.

Antonio Salvador, interviewed in town hall, expressed sadness even though he said he did not know Desforges.

“As a former marine, every time I hear of one of our guys dying over there it bothers me,” he said. “It kind of sticks you a little bit harder in the heart.”

Roger Savoie, sitting next to Salvador, said he served in the Marines in Korea. Hearing about Desforges death was profoundly sad, he said.

“I made it back,” Savoie said. “Here’s a young kid, just starting life and he didn’t make it.”

He said he feels terrible for his family.

“When somebody from town dies, it hits you in the heart because he’s your neighbor, he’s here,” he said

Joshua Desforges is seen in an undated family photograph.James Torrey, 23, of Hardwick, a classmate of Desforges Ludlow High School with Desforges and served as an assistant recruiter in the Marines with him for a time in downtown Springfield.

Torrey recalls Desforges “lived and breathed” the military.

“We loved it,” Torrey said. “We were so enthusiastic we would both show up to work in our Dress Blues. We liked the challenge. You get close to people when you both endure the same things.”

Torrey said that both he and Desforges attended the same infantry training at Camp Geiger in North Carolina.

The two lost touch after Torrey deployed to Iraq, he said.

Torrey said he has since been discharged from the Marines.

“It’s too bad,” he said. “I want to know more about how he died.”

He said he has become close to Desforges’ family over the years. When Desforges completed basic training, Mitrook was a guest of his parents for the graduation ceremony at Parris Island, S.C.

Now, on behalf of the family, he will travel next week to Dover Air Force Base to escort their son’s body home.

He called it a great privilege, albeit a sad one.

“This is a sad moment for that family. Josh and his father were very, very close.”

Mitrook said it has not fully hit him yet that Desforges is gone, but he expects it will in the coming days.

In the last 10 years, he has had to deal with three deaths for program graduates and one injury, he said. One of the deaths, Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson of Enfield who was killed in Iraq in 2006, was Desforges’ close friend.

“It’s not right. Your not supposed to outlive your kids," he said. “It is a shame.”

Republican reporters George Graham and Suzanne McLaughlin contributed to this report.

Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, of Ludlow, was killed in combat this week in a remote part of Afghanistan, according to military officials.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Although they have been blanketing cemeteries with American flags since 2001, this year was different for a local chapter of Young Marines.

An alumnus, Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, recently made the ultimate sacrifice.

“You’ll always be with us, Josh,” said James Berelli Jr., director of the Veterans Services office in West Springfield, after leading a group of children and veterans in a “heaven salute” to the fallen Marine.

Desforges, of Ludlow, was killed in combat this week in a remote part of Afghanistan, according to military officials. He was 23.

The Marine Corps League of Westfield sponsors the Young Marines, a national network that is much like it sounds: children in military garb schooled in military manners who perform community services such as the flag blitz at St. Thomas Cemetery.

Desforges had been a member of the Young Marines for seven years before he enlisted in the Marines straight out of high school in 2004.

“Remember him? We can’t forget him,” said Sgt. Major Edward C. Mitrook, unit commander of the regional Young Marine programs. “He was a mentor to many of the younger Young Marines.”

On Saturday, about 100 including the Young Marines, local veterans and civilians gathered at the cemetery to place about 2,500 flags on veterans’ gravesites.

Berelli and his wife, Susan, coordinate the biannual effort just before Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

“A vet should be honored every day,” said Berelli, who was a combat soldier in Vietnam.

Several of the Young Marines agreed.

Staff Sgt. Brittany Twining, 14, of Hampden, said she believes many children need to think about the sacrifices men and women in the military sign on to make.

“Kids our age need to realize there are people out there dying for us - for freedom and peace,” she said.

Mitrook said while most young children played soldier, Desforges was partial to Semper Fi.

“Most kids at 5 or 6 played Army. He always played Marine,” he said.

Desforges died Wednesday as the result of a hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Joshua Desforges is seen in an undated family photograph.LUDLOW – A military funeral service for Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges will be held Friday morning at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee.

Desforges, 23, a six-year veteran of the Marine Corps, died Wednesday “as a result of a hostile incident while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan,“ according to a statement issued by the 2nd Division Office of Public Affairs.

Friends and family are asked to attend the ceremony, which begins at 11 a.m. Mourners should enter the base through the James Street gate.

Due to the expected turnout, Ludlow police are asking people who are not planning to attend the wake to avoid driving on East Street during calling hours. Police are anticipating between 5,000 and 10,000 people could turnout to pay their respects, and the increase in traffic could cause traffic tie-ups, police said.

Desforges, a Ludlow native and a member of the Ludlow High School Class of 2004, is the first town resident killed in action since Lance Cpl. Douglas Walker, a helicopter pilot, who was shot down in Vietnam in 1968, said Don Couture, Ludlow's Director of Veterans' Services.

In his time in the Marines, Desforges earned several commendations, including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Desforges’ memory to Westover Young Marines, 51 Terry Lane, East Longmeadow, Ma 01028. Donations can be made online at www.ludlowfuneralhome.com.

The section of Center Street will be closed until about 5 p.m.

View Putts Bridge, Ludlow in a larger map

LUDLOW – The northbound stretch of Center Street, from Putts Bridge to Hubbard Street, will be closed for much of Tuesday due to road repair, police said.

Motorists crossing the bridge from Indian Orchard to Ludlow cannot take a left onto Center Street. Instead, motorists will be directed by signs and police officers right onto East Street and and left onto Sewall Street and up to Hubbard.

Southbound motorists are being directed onto Hubbard.

The detours went into effect at 7 a.m. and are expected to remain in place until about 5 p.m., police said.

The wake is Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. at Ludlow Funeral Home on East Street.

Joshua Desforges is seen in an undated family photograph.LUDLOW – The students at Veterans Park Elementary School have had a “special relationship” with Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, the 23-year-old Ludlow native who died May 12 as a result of a hostile incident while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Joshua’s mother, Arlene, is a teacher’s aide for a special education student in the school, Veterans Park Principal Susan Dukeshire said.

Dukeshire said Joshua had asked his mother whether her school could collect school supplies to help a school in the area where he was serving in Afghanistan.

In March the students held a Sportswear Day where students could wear sportswear if they brought in either pencils, pens, markers or glue sticks to donate to the school in Afghanistan.

Dukeshire said the Student Council told the students “no crayons” since crayons would melt in the heat in Afghanistan.

The students collected a sizable amount of school supplies, Dukeshire said. She said some students also donated money to pay the cost of mailing the items to Desforges’ unit.

Dukeshire said the school plans to continue to collect school supplies “on behalf of Joshua.”

“We hope to get a contact in Joshua’s unit,” Dukeshire said.

“The students feel they have a special relationship with Joshua,” Dukeshire said.

She said his death had a big impact on the staff and students at Veterans Park School. Counseling was made available to the students, but because of the age of the students at Veterans Park School, discussion of the Marine’s death mostly was left to the students’ parents, Dukeshire said.

The students at Veterans Park School are in fourth and fifth grades.

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The wake for Desforges is Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. at Ludlow Funeral Home, 432 East Street. During the wake there will be no parking along East Street between Brookfield and Laconia Streets.

Desforges, a Ludlow native and member of the Ludlow High School Class of 2004, is the first town resident killed in action since Douglas A. Walker, a helicopter pilot with the U.S. Army, was shot down in Vietnam in 1968.

A military funeral for Desforges will be Friday morning at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. The funeral procession will leave Ludlow Funeral Home at 10 a.m. and travel up East Street to Chapin Street to Fuller Street to West Street to Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee.

Residents are invited to assemble along the procession route in Ludlow. School in Ludlow has been closed for the day and residents are invited to park at Ludlow High School, Veterans Park School, Baird Middle School and Chapin Street School to watch the procession.

The Ludlow High School band will play in front of Ludlow High School during the procession.

The funeral is at 11 a.m. at Westover Air Force Base and is by private invitation of the Desforges family. Dignitaries invited to the funeral include U.S. Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, Gov. Deval L. Patrick, state Sen. Gale D. Candaras and state Rep. Thomas M. Petrolati.

In his time in the Marines, Desforges earned several commendations, including the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Desforges’ memory to Westover Young Marines 51 Terry Lane, East Longmeadow MA 01028 or online at www.ludlowfuneralhome.com.

Ludlow is inviting residents to show their respects by assembling along the funeral processional route.

Republican photo by Don Treeger -- A line of people wait Thursday outside Ludlow Funeral Home to pay respects to the family of fallen Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges

LUDLOW — Several hundred people turned out Thursday afternoon and evening at Ludlow Funeral Home to pay their respects to Marine Sgt. Joshua Desforges, the town resident killed last week during combat in Afghanistan.

Calling hours were scheduled from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. but a line was already forming in the parking lot by 1:30 p.m.

For most of the afternoon, the line out the front door and into the parking lot seemed to hold steady at between 150 and 200 people.

Ludlow police worked traffic control out front on East Street and Newbury Street on the east side of the funeral home was blocked off to traffic.

Republican photo by Don Treeger -- An unidentified Marine and an unidentified woman console each other outside Ludlow Funeral Home during the wake of fallen Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges

“It’s sad,” said Jay Garabino, a childhood friend of Desforges, upon leaving the funeral home.

He said he grew up with Desforges and remembers him as a great guy who was friends with everyone.

“He was always smiling all the time,” he said. “He made people laugh all the time.”

Garabino said that from early on, he remembers Desforges wanting to join the Marine Corps.

“He wanted to be a Marine from the 5th grade. That was his life,” he said.

Desforges is the first town resident killed in action in more than 40 years since the Vietnam War.

The private funeral is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. The funeral procession will leave Ludlow Funeral Home at 10 a.m. and travel up East Street to Chapin Street to Fuller Street to the Chicopee base. Only invited guests of the family will be allowed on the base for the funeral ceremony.

Map of funeral procession route for Sgt. Joshua Desforges The town is inviting residents to show their respects by assembling along the funeral processional route. School in Ludlow has been closed for the day and residents are invited to park at Ludlow High School, Veterans Park Elementary School, Baird Middle School and Chapin Street School to participate.

The Ludlow High School band will play in front of Ludlow High School during the procession.

Sandy LaVariere of Ludlow, who said she was the aunt of Desforges’s best friend, said his death has been hard on everyone who knew him.

“It hurts bad,” she said.

She said her nephew and Desforges were always together when he was home, and now dealing with the loss is hard.

“It’s been difficult. It’s been hard for him,” she said.

Desforges, she said, “was a great, great guy. He was very, very well liked.”

Thomas Barbeau of Ludlow, who knew Desforges’s parents, said that like a lot of people in town, he was saddened by a death hitting so close to home.

Barbeau, an Iraqi War veteran, it is an unfortunate and tragic reality to war is that people who volunteer to serve their country sometimes do not come home.

“It is a loss,” he said.

The loss is not just felt by the immediate family but the entire community because people who volunteer to join the Armed Forces are among the most dedicated and civic minded people around, he said.

He said he lost one of his men in combat in 2003 and it is a difficult thing to get over.

Pre-school students created a sign hung outside of Community Children's Center on Chapin Street, where Desforges was a student 20 years ago.

05.21.2010 | Photo by Ray Kelly / The Republican | LUDLOW - A sign along East Street, not far from Ludlow Funeral Home.

LUDLOW - American and Marine flags and red, white and blue ribbons dotted portions of East and Chapin streets as the town readied early this morning to pay its final respects to Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, a Ludlow resident killed last week during combat in Afghanistan.

Near Ludlow Funeral Home on East Street, a handmade sign read "God Bless Sgt. Desforges - Semper Fi."

Outside Community Children's Center on Chapin Street, where Desforges was a student 20 years ago, director Edith M. Chenevert and her assistant, Joanne F. Fenney, hung a sign made by pre-school students.

05.21.2010 | Photo by Ray Kelly / The Republican | LUDLOW - Director Edith M. Chenevert (in yellow) and her assistant, Joanne F. Fenney, hang a sign outside Community Children's Center on Chapin St."This is a celebration of Josh's life," Chenevert said as she taped the red, white and blue sign featuring handprints of many of the 56 students and bearing the inscription "Our Hero, Sgt. Josh."

The youngsters have been told the event is a hero's parade, said Chenevert, adding that some are aware of the loss.

Desforges is the first Ludlow resident killed in action in more than 40 years since the Vietnam War.

The private funeral is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. The funeral procession will leave Ludlow Funeral Home at 10 a.m. and travel up East Street to Chapin Street to Fuller Street to the Chicopee base. Only invited guests of the family will be allowed on the base for the funeral ceremony.

School in Ludlow has been closed for the day and residents are invited to park at Ludlow High School, Veterans Park Elementary School, Baird Middle School and Chapin Street School to participate.

The Ludlow High School band will play in front of Ludlow High School during the procession.

MassLive.com will carry live updates from Ludlow and Westover beginning at 10 a.m.

Dispatches from Ludlow and Westover as Western Massachusetts mourns the sergeant who was killed in Afghanistan May 12.

05.20.2010 | Photo by Mark M. Murray / The Republican | Marines fold the American flag to present to the family of Marine Sgt. Joshua Desforges during the service at Westover Air Reserve Base.

An updated version of this story is now available.

LUDLOW - A military funeral service for Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges will be held today at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee.

Desforges, 23, a six-year veteran of the Marine Corps, died Wednesday, May 12 as a result of a hostile incident while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, according to a statement issued by the 2nd Division Office of Public Affairs.

05.21.2010 | Photo by John Suchocki / The Republican | LUDLOW - The casket of fallen Marine Sgt. Joshua Desforges leaves the Ludlow Funeral Home under salute from the honor guard.

The private funeral is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. The funeral procession will leave Ludlow Funeral Home at 10 a.m. and travel up East Street to Chapin Street to Fuller Street to the Chicopee base. Only invited guests of the family will be allowed on the base for the funeral ceremony.

The Ludlow High School band will play in front of Ludlow High School during the procession.

Republican reporters Patrick Johnson and George Graham will be providing coverage from Westover Air Reserve Base. Editors Ray Kelly and Greg Saulmon will provide additional coverage from Ludlow High School.

The service was the first at Westover in at least 8 years, said Westover public affairs technician Sgt. Andrew S. Biscoe.

05.20.2010 | Photo by Mark M. Murray / The Republican | Marines fold the American flag to present to the family of Marine Sgt. Joshua Desforges during the service at Westover Air Reserve Base.

CHICOPEE - A military funeral service for Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges was held this morning at Base Ellipse on the grounds of Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. Desforges, 23, a six-year veteran of the Marine Corps, died Wednesday, May 12 as a result of a hostile incident while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, according to a statement issued by the 2nd Division Office of Public Affairs.

The funeral procession, led by three motorcycles from the Chicopee and Springfield police departments, arrived at the base just after 11 a.m.

The ceremony lasted about an hour, and included remarks from retired Sgt. Major Edward C. Mitrook of the Westover Young Marine program. Mitrook had been a mentor to Desforges, who joined the Young Marine program at the age of 12.

In comments to the press following the service, Mitrook said his first impression of Desforges was of a young man with intent, greater purpose, and great leadership qualities. "He lived his life with discipline, dedicaton & humor," Mitrook said.

In a prepared statement, Lt. Col. David McCulloh, site commander, Westover Marines, said, "This morning U.S. Marines honored a fallen brother. Sgt. Joshua David Desforges gave his life while supporting combat operations in Marjah, Afghanistan. While we mourn his loss, today we honor his bravery, patriotism and service to the nation."

05.21.2010 | Photo by John Suchocki / The Republican | LUDLOW - The casket of fallen Marine Sgt. Joshua Desforges leaves the Ludlow Funeral Home under salute from the honor guard.

In Ludlow, hundreds of residents clutched flags and held back tears along the procession route, which began at Ludlow Funeral Home on East Street.

Red, white and blue ribbons were tied to utility polls and American and Marine Corps flags dotted East, Chapin and Fuller streets.

Outside Community Children’s Center on Chapin Street, where Desforges was a student 20 years ago, director Edith M. Chenevert and her assistant, Joanne F. Fenney, hung a handpainted sign made by pre-schoolers. It featured student handprints and the words, “Our Hero, Sgt. Josh.”

“This is a celebration of Josh’s life,” Chenevert said.

View full size05.21.2010 | Photo by Greg Saulmon / The Republican | LUDLOW - The funeral procession for Marine Sgt. Joshua Desforges pauses in front of Ludlow High School.The hearse carrying Desforges’ body paused in front of Ludlow High School, where band members played “Amazing Grace.”

Clarinetist Cassie E. Goncalves said that the band had been rehearsing for the past two days since learning they would perform.

Some of those standing along the route knew Desforges, while others wanted to show their support for his family.

“It’s good Ludlow came together like this,” said Senior Airman Travis G. Wilson, who attended Ludlow High School with Desforges.

Vincent A. Ferrero carried an American flag in his right hand and sign proclaiming Desforges’ sacrifice in his left. He said he would place the sign on his Pond View Drive front lawn on Memorial Day.

“I am a proud Vietnam veteran here to support these folks,” Ferrero said. “Hopefully, it will help.”

Anna Marie Dias and her friend, Debbie L. Martell, stood under a shady tree as the hearse traveled down Chapin Street. The pair had attended the wake the night before.

“He fought for our freedom,” Dias said. “How could you not come out?”

The Republican's Ray Kelly, Patrick Johnson and George Graham contributed to this report.

Amherst, Hadley, the University of Massachusetts, Pelham, South Hadley, South Hadley Fire District 2, Ludlow, Ware, Wilbraham and East Longmeadow all want to be considered.

File photo / The RepublicanAMHERST – While the numbers are preliminary, the state predicts that a regional emergency dispatch center here could save between $532,000 and $646,000 per year for a five-member regional system – and even more with additional participants.

“We’re very happy with (the numbers). It just confirms that this makes a lot of sense,” Amherst Town Manager Laurence R. Shaffer said.

He is plugging the numbers into various charts to show prospective participants what the savings would be.

Laurence R. Shaffer Amherst began looking at regionalizing with Hadley and the University of Massachusetts in the spring of 2008. Belchertown expressed an interest soon after.

Later, Pelham, South Hadley, South Hadley Fire District 2, Ludlow, Ware, Wilbraham and East Longmeadow asked to be included in the feasibility study.

The state awarded $125,000 for that study last year and it was recently completed. Officials are waiting to see how much the state would contribute.

Frank Pozniak, executive director of the state’s 911 Department, said it’s difficult to provide accurate numbers because the center would not open until 2012, and other communities considering a regional approach are also seeking subsidy estimates. “We’re trying to do the best we can (with estimates.) We want them to succeed,” he said.

Shaffer asked for both the lowest and highest estimates so he could give communities a range of savings.

Shaffer said up to 10 communities are considering becoming part of the center. Pozniak said he is expecting estimates for at least seven members in a few weeks.

Shaffer said once he has the cost-saving charts completed, he’ll invite UMass and the other communities to a meeting. Those who agree to sign on would form a consortium.

The state has also awarded the town a $735,000 grant to pay for pre-construction and design costs for a regional center.

Pozniak said the state is very much in favor of regional dispatch systems.

Besides costs savings, they are “a public safety benefit.” By answering calls and dispatching emergency vehicles from “under one roof, you’re saving time” in emergency response, he said.

The employee was not injured and refused medical treatment.

LUDLOW – Police are searching for the driver of a truck who struck an employee and the front of a Cumberland Farms store on East Street Sunday morning.

The driver caused little damage to the building, but hit it hard enough for goods to fall from the shelves. The 44-year-old employee was not injured and refused medical treatment, Police Sgt. Daniel J. Valadas said.

After striking the employee and the building at about 2:15 a.m., the driver sped away from the store. Police do not have a description of the vehicle yet, he said.

Police began receiving reports of a power outage at about 6:30 p.m. and traced it back to a blown transformer on Center Street

LUDLOW - Problems with a transformer on Center Street on Friday night caused a power outage that affected more than 450 customers.

Police Sgt. Mark Mendes said police began receiving calls at about 6:30 p.m.

He said a transformer on top of a pole on Center Street blew out, causing the outage. He said he was awaiting report to hear the extend of the outage.

There were no downed wires and police did not have to close the street to traffic, he said.

According to Western Massachusetts Electric Co., the outage affected 459 homes and businesses.

At Agawam's Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, Gov. Deval Patrick said the "spirit of sacrifice" continues.

The Republican / Don TreegerMemorial Day ceremony at the Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial Cemetery. This is Mark A. Grodzicki of Southwick visiting the grave of his high school buddy Travis Fuller who was killed in Iraq in 2005. He visits the grave three times a year.

It was a sun-splashed but poignant 2010 Memorial Day on Monday all over the Pioneer Valley, especially in Ludlow, hometown of Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, who was killed in action in Afghanistan three weeks ago.

“We had a lot more veterans marching with us, a lot of them were friends of Joshua,” said Donald J. Couture, director of veterans services for Ludlow.

Desforges’ family was at the parade, Couture said.

“The previous year has seen too many deaths,” the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said at the St. Michael Cemetery Memorial Day Mass.

In Agawam, Gov. Deval L. Patrick led about 300 people in saluting the military’s fallen men and women at the Massachusetts Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery on Main Street.

Patrick said that he has pondered whether the “Baby Boom” generation, which arrived after World War II, measures up in its responsibilities and obligations to the so-called “Greatest Generation,” whose accomplishments included victory in World War II and the rebuilding of Europe afterward.

“I kind of have a personal stake in it,” she said.

The holiday wasn’t all solemnity. Lynn D. Sullivan relished her afternoon in Springfield’s Forest Park after a weekend of errands and chores.

“This is family time for us,” she said. “It’s the perfect day for it.”

Staff writers Sandra E. Constantine, Chris Hamel, Diane Lederman, Ted Laborde, Fred Contrada, and John Appleton contributed to this report.

Thousands participated in Memorial Day events in Ludlow, Hampden and East Longmeadow.

Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, USMC.Members of the family of Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges, who was killed in action in Afghanistan three weeks ago, attended the Memorial Day parade on Monday in Ludlow wearing T-shirts in his honor, said Donald J. Couture, Ludlow Director of Veterans Services.

They were joined by a crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 spectators on the parade route and about 200 people who attended ceremonies at the town gazebo, Couture said.

"The crowd was great, the weather was great," Couture said.

Arthur A. Booth, parade coordinator for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9397 in Hampden said about 2,000 spectators attended Hampdens annual parade.

"I think people are beginning to recognize the meaning of Memorial Day as more of a solemn holy day," Booth said.

Brian V. Tidlund, commander of American Legion Post 293 in East Longmeadow, said 100 to 150 people either marched in or watched the East Longmeadow parade.

"East Longmeadow has always been behind the veterans," he said.

“I’m campaigning harder than I have in a while," Frank told The Boston Herald.

Ap File PhotoRepresentative Barney Frank.

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Firefighters used an air bag to extricate the woman who was conscious and alert.

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LUDLOW – A Lyon Street woman, trapped by a collapsing barn Tuesday afternoon, escaped serious injury, fire officials said.

Emergency personnel used an air bag and cribbing to extricate the woman whose ankle had been trapped by debris from the partially-collapsed barn, Fire Department Capt. Edwin Prokup said.

She was treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and released, Prokup said.

The barn, at 1017 Lyon St., collapsed shortly after 3 p.m.

Prokup said the couple had been standing outside the rear of the barn, inspecting it, when it suddenly collapsed. The falling structure pushed the man out of harm’s way but trapped the woman, he said.

“The barn had been creaking and popping and sagging over the last few days,” Prokup said, adding he believes the barn was over 100-years-old.

Police arrived before firefighters and were working to shore upthe structure when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters used cribbing to protect the woman in case of further collapse and lifted the wreckage on her ankle with an air bag.

“We only had to lift it an inch to get it out,” Prokup said, adding that the woman was conscious and alert throughout her ordeal.

The barn was one-story tall in the front and two-stories in the rear where there was a walk-out area, Prokup said.

Berghorn said she believes her rescuers saved her life.

06.02.2010 | Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The Republican | LUDLOW - The collapsed barn at 1017 Lyon St. that trapped Patricia A. Berghorn on Tuesday.

This is an updated version of a story originally filed at 8:49 a.m.

LUDLOW – Patricia A. Berghorn, trapped by a collapsing barn Tuesday afternoon, said she thought she was going to die.

“It was pretty much a nightmare,” said the 76-year-old Berghorn who was rescued by police officers and firefighters and escaped serious injury. “I figured I guess I am going to die here.”

Berghorn and her husband, Alfred W. Berghorn, were standing outside the rear of the barn, located on their property at 1017 Lyon St., when it suddenly collapsed shortly after 3 p.m.

Berghorn said debris from the partially-collapsed barn brought her down and pinned her to the ground. “I was totally under there,” she said. “My hand and foot were trapped.”

Alfred Berghorn, who dialed 911 to summon help for his wife, was not injured.

Fire Department Capt. Edwin Prokup said police were the first to arrive at the scene and were working to shore up the structure when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters used cribbing to protect Berghorn in case of further collapse and lifted the wreckage that was entrapping her with an air bag.

Berghorn said it was only as firefighters prepared to inflate the airbag that she realized that she was going to survive.

“We only had to lift it an inch to get (her) out,” Prokup said.

“They just did a phenomenal job,” Berghorn said. “They saved my life.”

Berghorn was treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and released.

Berghorn said Wednesday that she suffered from assorted bumps and bruises and is black and blue. “Today you feel it,” she said of her assorted minor injuries. ”But, that feeling means you are alive.”


Berghorn said they have had people come out to the barn with regard to demolishing it but had yet to go ahead and do it.

“The barn had been creaking and popping and sagging over the last few days,” Prokup said, adding he believes the barn was over 100-years-old.

The barn was one-story tall in the front and two-stories in the rear where there was a walk-out area, Prokup said.

Berghorn said the front portion of the barn collapsed about 20 minutes after her extrication.

“My glasses are in there somewhere,” she said.