LONGPORT — It didn't go quite the way organizers envisioned, but the Downbeach communities welcomed an injured U.S. service member and his family to the Jersey Shore on Wednesday at Borough Hall.
Wednesday's rain ended up canceling a planned Wounded Warrior parade for U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Chase Tanton, of Provo, Utah, his wife, Rebecca, and their six children, ages 9 months to 16 years.
Each September, American Legion Post 469 identifies an injured service member who will receive a one-week vacation at the shore with their family. The Tantons will be in the area through Sept. 23.
Wounded Warriors are usually celebrated with a parade from Ski Beach in Ventnor to Borough Hall in Longport, with Downbeach residents lining the parade route waving American flags and emergency vehicles a