By Paul Leighton
BEVERLY — The body of Army Spc. Stephen Fortunato returned home yesterday in a coffin covered with an American flag and a sheet of plastic to protect against a cold, gray rain.
A convoy of four state police motorcycles and four police cruisers escorted Fortunato's body and his family to the Campbell, Lee, Moody, Russell Funeral Home in Beverly from Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford. Ten volunteers from a group known as the Patriot Guard Riders stood with American flags as eight National Guard soldiers from the 54th Massachusetts Honor Guard removed Fortunato's casket from the hearse and carried it into the funeral home.
The brief ceremony was witnessed only by Fortunato's immediate family, which had asked for privacy in advance of the expected public outpouring at today's wake and tomorrow's funeral.
"We got to say a few prayers to Stephen at the base and at the funeral home," said his mother, Elizabeth Crawford. "We got to say our words to Stephen."
Fortunato, a 25-year-old Beverly High School graduate, was killed in Afghanistan on Oct. 14 when a bomb destroyed the military vehicle in which he was riding. Two other soldiers were also killed. One of them, 18-year-old Spc. Cory Bertrand, is scheduled to be buried today in Shelbyville, Texas. The other is Preston Medley, 23, of Baker, Fla.
Early yesterday morning, Fortunato's family was driven in two limousines and escorted by a Beverly police cruiser to Hanscom Air Force Base, where his body had been flown from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
In a biting cold on an open airfield, the honor guard moved the casket from the airplane to the hearse in what is known as "the honorable transfer," according to Sgt. First Class Daniel Maes of the Massachusetts National Guard.
As the procession drove off the Air Force base, military people and civilians lined the streets, with the soldiers saluting and the civilians holding their hands over their hearts.
"I was amazed," Crawford said. "It was a wonderful, wonderful tribute to Stephen."
On the drive back to Beverly, police closed off the entrances to the highway so the procession would proceed without delay. Two motorcycle riders from the Patriot Guard Riders accompanied the procession, and 10 others awaited its arrival at the funeral home. The national group volunteers to attend the services of fallen soldiers to pay their respects and to protect the family against protesters.
The Patriot Riders wore brown leather jackets, and some had long hair, beards and bandanas on their heads, contrasting with the crisp blue uniforms and long black coats of the military honor guard.
One of the volunteers, Donald Pearce of Methuen, has a son and nephew serving in Iraq. He said he served in Vietnam and was not treated well when he returned home.
"I made a promise to my son that they will not get the kind of treatment I got when I got home," he said.
Across Cabot Street from the funeral home, Frank Downs of Methuen stood by himself holding a large American flag. He drove to Beverly in his pickup truck, which was filled with bundles of insulation he was taking to his job as a window and insulation installer.
Downs said he has attended 35 services for soldiers ever since his best friend's son died in Iraq.
Crawford said she and her family have been gratified by the outpouring of support in the community. She was accompanied yesterday by Stephen's wife, Sherri; his two brothers, Joseph and Anthony; his father, Richard; his grandmother, Veronica; his mother-in-law, Dorinda Favoloro; his stepmother, Nancy Fortunato; and family friend Arthur McNeil.
"I hope Stephen is looking down and seeing all this because he would be amazed," Crawford said. "He would not believe this is all for him."
