Manchester Police Help Lay WWII Veteran To Rest

MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS) -- Two members of the  Manchester Police Department contributed in a special way to help honor World War II veteran Charles Pelchat at his funeral.

A Facebook post by Manchester Police said Detective Sergeant Shawn McCabe and Lieutenant Steven Mangone of the Manchester Police Traffic Unit did not know Pelchat personally when they decided to pay respects to him on Friday.

McCabe, realizing the uniformed military personnel serving as pall bearers were down one man, stepped in to help carry Pelchat to his final resting place.

Mangone was able to get the Manchester Police Honor Guard to attend and organized an escort for the funeral.

According to the department's Facebook post, "Mr. Pelchat was born in Canada on March 22, 1923, but became a United States Citizen on May 19, 1944, while serving in the United States Army at the height of World War II. He was proud of the fact he stormed the beaches of Normandy during the infamous D-Day invasion and also served in Northern France, Europe, African and Middle Eastern Campaigns and was highly decorated for his service."