11 April, 2013
The Hopkinton Marathon Committee will honor three local veterans at the start of the 117th Boston Marathon on Patriots’ Day, April 15, 2013. This year’s honorees include Robert Fayard, U.S. Navy; George Gross, U.S. Army, and Thomas Igartua, U.S. Marines.
“Since 2002, the Hopkinton Marathon Committee has been honoring our local veterans at the start of the Boston Marathon,” said Hopkinton Marathon Committee chairperson, Dorothy Ferriter-Wallace. “The committee feels it’s important to honor Patriots’ Day and to recognize the veterans for their service. Our freedoms and ability to enjoy notable events like the historic Boston Marathon would not be possible without the veterans’ sacrifices.”
Fayard, a Tennessee native, served in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Iowa battleship in Korea from 1951-52. After a long career at General Motors, he worked at Hopkinton’s First Congregational Church, then the Hopkinton Police Department, doing custodial work. He was married for 58 years to Nancy, who passed away this year. They had two children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Gross was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953 and was on a Korean-bound ship, when mechanical troubles sent them to Japan. Gross was one of a few soldiers asked to stay in Japan. He had worked as a firefighter prior to being drafted and continued to serve in that role in the U.S. Army, then in the Hopkinton Fire Department after his discharge. He worked a total of 42 years as a firefighter. Gross has three children and eight grandchildren.
Igartua, a Framingham native now living in Hopkinton, served in the U.S. Marines from 2002 until 2008 with the Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 472 out of Chicopee. After a period with the USMC Reserves, he was activated and sent to Iraq in 2004. While in the U.S. Marines, he worked on aircraft crash fire and rescue. He works part-time at an auto parts store while he attends classes toward his bachelor’s degree in computer science. He and his wife, Michelle, have two children.
The three veterans will enjoy a breakfast at the New England Laborers Training Center before being recognized on the Boston Marathon starter’s platform in front of thousands on Patriots’ Day.
