Lost son revives efforts to honor Eastport Vietnam veteran

A Vietnam veteran from Eastport who courageously risked his own life to save others in a fierce firefight will be honored next year with recognition that he did not receive during his lifetime. Those efforts to honor Thomas Bouchard's actions during the war are being led by a son that he never knew he had. On this Veterans Day, the bravery and self-sacrifice of Bouchard and all veterans will be remembered. His son, Barry Tishler, is doing his part by having Bouchard honored with a final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery, recovering his medals that were long thought lost and founding a recovery house for veterans facing PTSD, trauma and substance use challenges.

Courage under fire

The story begins on December 7, 1967, when Bouchard was a 19‑year‑old private serving in Vietnam with the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, near the village of Dai Dong. When he heard that his former company was engaged in a firefight, he left the security of headquarters, where he had been assigned as a cook, boarded a helicopter and flew to the battlefield. According to the U.S. Army's official report, Bouchard joined the unit as it began an assault on a heavily fortified enemy position. In the first minutes of the attack, one of the company's armored personnel carriers was hit, and the entire crew was wounded. Bouchard, the report reads, "fearlessly raced 20 meters, through an intense hail of bullets, to the stricken vehicle. Under withering fire, he put all the casualties aboard, took the controls and drove the vehicle to safety, plowing through a North Vietnamese machine gun bunker, killing the occupants."

Bouchard returned to the front when a second assault was unleashed, personally charging several enemy bunkers, destroying them with grenades and rifle fire. At one point, he engaged in face‑to‑face combat with three North Vietnamese soldiers, killing them with machine-gun fire.

In March 1968, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross "for dauntless courage in close combat that inspired his fellow soldiers to an overwhelming victory." For that action, he also received the Cross of Gallantry, the Republic of Vietnam's highest military honor. In addition, during his two tours of duty in Vietnam, Bouchard received the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, the Air Medal and a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds that left him disabled.

In 1990, by order of Congress, Bouchard's heroism was again recognized through his induction into the Legion of Valor, securing his place and legacy as one of the most highly decorated Army Vietnam veterans from Maine. Membership is limited to Americans awarded one of the nation's two highest military honors:  the Medal of Honor or the Distinguished Service Cross.

After returning home from the war, Bouchard fought for and assisted veterans by devoting his time as a volunteer for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) to help them obtain Veterans Administration services and as a volunteer driver to take them to the Togus VA hospital in Augusta. He also fought for those who were missing in action and assisted the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. And he served as post commander of the Ralph A. Ray VFW Post #558 in Eastport.

Bouchard suffered from PTSD and passed away in early 2000 due to complications from Agent Orange exposure during the war.

Called to a mission

The story of Bouchard's son, Barry Tishler, who is 58 and now lives in Ormond Beach, Fla., begins in a different time and place. He grew up in a middle-class family in New Jersey, where his father was a doctor. But he knew from a young age that he was adopted. When he was in his 20s he found out his birth name, but no father was listed. He later met his cousins on his mother's side from the Bath/Brunswick area.

Tishler was convinced that he was of Italian heritage, while his wife thought he was Portuguese. To settle a bet with his wife, two years ago he had a DNA test done. Within an hour he was receiving calls from his first cousins who said they knew who his father was.

Bouchard had shipped off to Vietnam from the Brunswick Naval Air Station, and Tishler notes that his mother's family has a long history in the Bath and Brunswick area. Tishler's mother gave him up for adoption, and he believes his father never knew about him.

"Finding my father through DNA was overwhelming," says Tishler. "He never knew I existed, and yet his courage and service are now part of my story."

Because of his background and who his father was, Tishler, who had served in the U.S. Navy, felt "a driven purpose to work with veterans." He had already started the Addiction Education Foundation, a Florida nonprofit whose mission of hope is to provide organizations with education and training on substance abuse, prevention and recovery. Now he is opening up a second house in Jacksonville, Fla., the 2nd Mission Veteran Sober House, the first of its kind in the state. The program provides a safe, structured and supportive recovery environment for veterans facing PTSD, trauma and substance use challenges. "When I found out who my father was, it inspired me to continue," he says.

"As a veteran, a person in long‑term recovery and a certified professional in trauma and addiction services, I feel uniquely called to this mission," Tishler observes. "My father's story of sacrifice and resilience inspires me every day to serve those who served our nation." He notes that both he and his father help "veterans heal and become whole again on the battlefield of life to battle PTSD."

Tishler also has worked for his father to receive the honors that he is due. He notes that while a ceremony was held to honor Bouchard after he died in 2000, there was no plot for him in Hillside Cemetery in Eastport. His ashes are not recoverable, but, working with U.S. Senator Susan Collins' office, Tishler petitioned to have Bouchard laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. He has just ordered the headstone, and a ceremony will be held early next year at Arlington, where his heroism and sacrifice will be permanently honored.

And while Bouchard did receive the Distinguished Service Cross, many of Bouchard's friends felt he deserved the Congressional Medal of Honor. While he did not receive that award, Tishler says, "At least he can have a resting place and be honored at a national cemetery and we can memorialize him in the nation's greatest cemetery -- Arlington."

Tishler also has been able to recover Bouchard's medals, which had been lost. They were found at Maritime Coin in Bangor by two of Bouchard's friends and given to Tishler. He has since had the medals framed, along with the Legion of Valor certificate and the flag that was presented at the funeral service. At the sober house, Tishler brings the medals with him, as a reminder to carry his father's legacy forward to help veterans in need. "That's what I'm driven to do."

As Bouchard's son, Tishler has been approved as a dependent of a Legion of Valor member and participates with the legion that his father was inducted into.

Connecting with family, carrying on a legacy

Along with honoring his father, Tishler has been connecting with his new-found family. He came to Eastport during the Fourth of July in 2023 and met his cousins and Bouchard's friends. "I will come to Eastport as much as I possibly can," he says. His 15 first cousins plan a reunion each year, and he will try to come again this year. Noting that he spent much of his life not knowing his family, he says, "I now have a family, which is really important to me."

"I feel like I'm now part of Eastport, part of the community," he says. "I'm so grateful to the town and the community -- that they respected and thought so much of my father means a lot to me."

"God is working anonymously in my life," he observes, believing it was no accident that he was adopted, he found out who his mother and father were, he became a certified addiction services professional, and "it all came together, helping people in recovery. I can now carry on that legacy and pay it forward."

"I felt compelled to do something for veterans," Tishler says, noting that his father had struggled with PTSD and had helped veterans. "I wanted to do something my dad did."

"To carry on his legacy feels like we're doing this together," he reflects. "The stories that are told of him are similar to mine. Not only the stories, but how much we look alike."

"I am grateful that my journey has placed me in a position to be of service to veterans in need and to carry the message of hope in the name of my father and for all who have served and suffered."