Milton Resident Retires following 22 years of Service

On Veterans Day 11/11/19 , Plymouth Memorial Hall was decked out in Patriotic Red White and Blue. The High School Marching Band played and the Color Guard, was also in attendance. Much pump and circumstance as Milton Resident Major Franco Gobourne was honored with multiple citations by US Congressman William R Keating upon his retirement from the Military following 22 years of public service. One of the citations came from Governor Charles D. Baker.

Gobourne who left his native Panama to pursue a law degree at Boston College joined the US Army in 1978 as a Parachute Infantry Man in the 82^nd Airborne. Gobourne went on to join the Marines in 1982 and served until 1986. Following his tours of duty he went on to college and law school and served as a public defender and prosecutor in Suffolk County along with serving as an Assistant Attorney General and a Clinical Law Professor at Suffolk University Law School.

In 2005 Franco joined the Massachusetts National Guard as a military police officer and deployed to Iraq with his unit from July 2007-July 2008 , shortly thereafter he transferred to the U.S. Army Reserves as a Commissioned Officer with the Judge Advocate General (JAG ) Corps. In 2013 , as a JAG
Army Reservist he was deployed to Afghanistan for a year.

Upon his return from Afghanistan Franco and his wife Diana L. Maldonado , Associate Justice of the Massachusetts District Court moved to Milton with their young son Benicio. Ben along with his family are active in St, Mary of the Hills Church where Ben serves as a member of the Altar Server Ministry and his parents serve on the hospitality social hour ministry where parishioners get to meet and greet and get to know each other.

It was back in September 2010, then Governor Deval Patrick appointed Major Gobourne as Associate Judge of the Massachusetts District Court and he is currently assigned to sit mostly in Plymouth and Fall River District Courts.

Director of Veterans Services for the town of Plymouth Roxanne L. Whitback, organized the day’s event which brought out many community leaders along with co-workers, family and friends to honor and thank Major Gobourne.

In addition to all the fitting accolades bestowed upon Major Gobourne was the presentation of a bouquet of flowers as a thank you to his wife Diana for her dedicated support during his years of service. Congressman Keating made special mention of the importance and gratitude of military families, the loved ones who are in fact serving alongside those deployed and the sacrifices they make with their families.

Interviewed by phone following the ceremony, Major Gobourne remained humble and said” more than anything I want my life of service to be an example for young men to know that it doesn’t matter where you come from , but with determination and hard work anything can be achieved.”

What a great example for young men especially his own Boy Scout, his son Benicio.

Thank you Major Gobourne for your service to this country both here and abroad .