Ronan, Montana Marine Tomy Parker got the homecoming welcome he and all Marines deserve over the weekend.
The Missoulian has this report following a fundraiser for Tomy’s family in Ronan, where thousands showed up to thank Tomy for his service and sacrifice.
They rolled in by the hundreds Saturday, close friends, distant relatives and complete strangers alike, never-ending waves of people who packed the Ronan Community Center to welcome Lance Cpl. Thomas Parker home, and thank him for his sacrifice.
The 21-year-old U.S. Marine, who lost both legs and four fingers to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in December, greeted just about every last one of them from his wheelchair, putting them all at ease with the remarkable good humor that has marked his recovery from Day One.
Volunteers came prepared to serve up to 2,000 people at Saturday’s spaghetti feed, and as Tim Corbett, the longtime partner of Parker’s mother, Lisa Jennison, surveyed the packed hall early in the day, he predicted they’d run out of food long before they ran out of people.
After reading the accounts on the Tomy Parker facebook page, The Missoulian, and KPAX-TV- it is clear that Highway 93 turned into an all out parade route for Tomy and his family. All this, after hundreds turned out to greet him at the airport.
KPAX-TV had this video following the homecoming at the Missoula Airport.