Swansea teen places markers on Civil War graves for Eagle Scout project

SWANSEA — Eighteen-year-old Benjamin Bouffard is making his mark in Swansea by making sure the town's Civil War veterans are never forgotten.

Bouffard, a Swansea resident and member of Boy Scout Troop 303, recently finished his Eagle Scout project, placing Civil War markers at the historic Thomas Cemetery on GAR Highway.

At age 11, after moving up from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, Bouffard discovered a Civil War veteran's grave at Mount Hope Cemetery, located at Hortonville and Milford roads in the village center. This discovery — while placing flags at the cemetery for Memorial Day, an annual troop activity — started it all for Bouffard and set him on the path to Eagle Scouts.

The Mount Hope grave was without a marker, so Bouffard decided he wanted to make sure these former Swansea citizens and Civil War veterans buried in town were rightfully honored.

'It helps out a lot': This Fall River food pantry is a lifeline for local veterans

Several years later, after earning 21 merit badges (13 badges are required for Eagle Scouts), holding various positions of responsibility in the troop, attending and working at summer camp, Bouffard was ready to get to work on his Eagle Scout project.

Bouffard researched Swansea Civil War veterans, developed a list, then set out to locate their grave sites across several different town cemeteries.

Those with markers that needed to be restored he collected, tagged, restored and replaced on each grave. Those without markers were noted, funds were raised and donations were collected to purchase markers and they were then placed on each grave.

During his research, Bouffard even found the grave of Charles S. Barney, an ancestor of one of local troop leader Brian Barney.

Swansea’s Veteran Service Officer Kevin Serpa joined the scouts to honor the town's Civil War veterans upon the completion of Bouffard's project on Nov. 7.

Meet Micaila Britto: Fall River gets its first female veterans agent — how her unique experience will help

"It is important to honor those who served for our country not only in more recent wars but also in historical wars," states a press release from Swansea Veterans Services about the project. "It is important that these veterans not be forgotten. America is what it is today because past and present veterans."

Congress chartered Boy Scouts of America in 1910 and shortly after the American Legion was the first organization to sponsor scouting units, the release states. They recognized the value of the “Aims of Scouting”— character development, leadership development, citizenship training and personal fitness — which follows the Legions values of citizenship and community involvement.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Swansea Eagle Scout places markers on Civil War graves for project