More than three years since the untimely death of their son, Daniel, George and Jacqueline Tranchemontagne of Sanford were presented with an award from the state of Maine honoring their son’s “ultimate sacrifice.”

The Tranchemontagnes were one of three families honored with Gold Star Honorable Service Medals in a ceremony held Nov. 15 in the State House Hall of Flags. Other soldiers recognized by the governor and military officials were Lt. Commander Robert E. Clukey III of Orono and Sgt. Nicholes D. Golding of Addison.

Capt. Daniel J. Tranchemontange of Sanford served in the U.S. Army Reserve’s 368th Engineer Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was called to active duty in November 2002 and served in Kuwait as a staff officer until he was diagnosed with cancer in December 2003. A Bronze Star recipient, Tranchemontagne was taken to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in January 2004. He died May 30, 2004 – one day before Memorial Day – at the age of 32.

Tranchemontagne taught math at Scarborough High School for six years, helped introduce the wrestling program there and served as an assistant wrestling coach at the University of Southern Maine for several years before he was called to active duty.

According to Peter Ogden, director of Maine Veterans Services, medals are presented to the families of Maine soldiers who served since Sept. 11, 2001, who were killed in action or died of an illness or injury that came up while they were deployed.

George and Jackie Tranchemontagne called the honor by the state a bittersweet gesture.

“It’s nice that the state recognized him,” George Tranchemontagne said. But, Jackie Tranchemontagne added, in a way they feel like “it’s about time.”

“He was a good son,” George Tranchemontagne said, still choking back the raw emotion of losing a child. “When Danny believed in something, he put his heart and soul into everything he did. He loved being a school teacher and he loved being in the Army. … He was very proud of what he was doing.”

A 1989 graduate of Sanford High School, Daniel Tranchemontagne attended the University of Southern Maine and graduated from Norwich University in Vermont. He played local youth soccer and was a member of the track and wrestling teams in high school.

“It was very touching” to see how many people attended Daniel’s funeral at Holy Family Church in Sanford, his mother said.

In fact, she added, she and her husband often see evidence of the effect their son had on the lives of his students and his friends in the mementos still left at his graveside and in the people they meet day to day.

“Once you were his friend, you were his friend forever,” his father said.

When Daniel noticed the lump on his neck in December 2003, military doctors examined him and diagnosed him with stage 4 melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer that had already begun to spread to other parts of his body, his mother said.

As a mother, she said, the only thing that has crossed her mind has been the thought that if he wasn’t “over there” maybe doctors could have detected the cancer sooner and treated it. “But that’s just a mother talking,” she said.

Jackie Tranchemontagne praised the medical staff at the Army hospital and recalled the five months she and her husband were able to spend with their son before he died – time they continue to count as a blessing.

While some veterans’ families are less than pleased with the hospital’s outpatient services, she said, she was pleased with the attention given to her son and the other soldiers there for a extended stays.

There was one doctor who, even though all the beds were full and the demand for surgical procedures was great, scheduled her son for an emergency procedure early one morning to release the fluids that had formed in his lungs.

“Walter Reed was great,” Jackie Tranchemontagne said. “The kids are treated so well.” Even though some come in and are bitter about the sacrifices of life and limb they have made, she said, she saw marked improvement in not only the young soldiers’ health, but also their attitudes.

The fourth of six sons, Daniel “emulated his older brother Marc,” who is currently a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, George Tranchemontagne said. In fact, George said, he and his wife owe they time they had with Daniel at the end to Marc, who allowed them to stay with him and his family in their home in Virginia, just a short distance from Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Despite their loss, Jackie Tranchemontagne said, they feel particularly sympathetic toward the young wife of one of the other fallen soldiers honored in the Hall of Flags on Nov. 15.

“When she went up (to receive her husband’s medal) with a child on each arm, the mood of the ceremony became very solemn,” she said. “They had just begun their lives together. They didn’t have time to make a lot of memories,” she paused, “We had many years with Daniel.”

“And a lot of good memories,” his father added. For that, they are especially thankful.

Scarborough teacher honored posthumously