Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Trooper Charbonnier & Family:

Many days I drive by your Memorial Stone (Rte. 3 Exit 9) & have a brief conversation with you, give 3 toots of the car horn to let you know You Are Not Forgotten and continue to my home.

I chuckle when I do the 3 toots because always someone thinks I am tooting at them and wave to me as I give them this crazy look - I am not tooting at You - It is Mark over there , just letting him know of my return.

So Mark the 3 toots will continue & so won't my short conversations....


You Are Always Remembered

Anonymous

June 25, 2012

I often think of you this time of year. I drove past the memorial just last weekend, coming back from Cape Cod. There were fresh flowers; they looked beautiful. That stretch of Rte. 3 near Exit 9 has changed a lot! But I still can't believe it's been 17 years.

I worked the eve shift out of D-7 the night before. And I still wonder at how I many times I made stops close to or at the very spot where you fell, which is where our barracks patrol areas overlapped. I was just a boot then, not even one year out of the Academy, and only knew you to nod hello. But your reputation among your peers, including among my classmates assigned to D-1, was phenomenal. You were everything a Trooper should be, on-duty and off. This is not an exaggeration. This is not some notion that developed after we lost you. It was the truth. When I think today, as a middle-aged man, of what you would have accomplished personally and professionally, I am again filled with sorrow.

We helped cover the D-1 patrols over the next few days. It was Saturday or Sunday evening, I can't remember exactly, and I was called off Rte 3 and sent to your home. A lieutenant was waiting for me, with a garment bag. I was instructed to deliver it to another home, a couple towns away. What I was being ordered to do was deliver your dress uniform - the one you were to be buried in - to the home of your parents. I'm sure it was a just a matter of chance I drew that duty. But I felt honored to perform it, and still feel honored today.

I must add that many times I questioned, in my mind, whether your sacrifice was worth it. This question preyed on me, even after I left the MSP several years later for a corporate job, during the "internet boom." It's a decision I came to regret, for a lot of different reasons; such is life.

But over time, maybe unrelated to this sense of regret, maybe not, I learned the answer to my question. And that is that of course your sacrifice was not in vain. It doesn't matter that the muff goes on breathing, and may someday get out, or that some other muff will inevitably come along instead. Nor does it really matter how fat our bank accounts may grow or how big a house we might own or what kind of car we drive. What matters are those you love and who love you back. You had no shortage of either, and you gave everything to protect them. And that is the highest thing a person can do.

Thanks, Mark, for helping me to understand that. Not just to hear the words, but to understand them in my soul. It’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time.

And please also know – this goes without saying – that I will never forget you.


Former D-7 Tpr.
71st RTT

Anonymous
Former MSP

September 14, 2011

Today our state buries another officer, Jack MaGuire, who was also shot and killed. It reminded me when I was 18 and heard of a yound state trooper who had been murdered on Rt 3 in Kingston, not far from my home. I grew up in Braintree, and witnessed Mark's burial (from a distance). At only 18 I felt such honor for this trooper. It has stayed with me my entire life and I have never forgotten his sacrifice for our state. I hope you continue to rest in peace officer Charbonnier. And I pray his family has found peace.

Stacie Ross
MA Resident

December 31, 2010

It is with great pride that the members of USSS Class 219 choose Mark Charbonnier to be our Hero of the Week at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. You made the greatest sacrifice without hesitation, protecting the people of the Commonwealth. You are, and will forever be, a hero to those of us in law enforcement. When we get tired, your memory will be our fuel. May your family's hearts heal and your soul rest in peace.

Recruit Casey MacDonald
United States Secret Service/Son of Retired Trooper

August 23, 2010

I still wear the 953 hat "Beansie" gave me...proudly in your memory.

Chief F.A. Welsh, Retired
Center Harbor, NH, F.D.

April 9, 2010

I can say that after having the opportunity to meet many Mass Troopers at the turn-a-rounds at the state lines, and backing eachother up on occcasions, they are some of the most squared away bunch of guys you would ever want to meet and would do anything for you. Judging from the thousands of runners that used to show up at your road races and the reflections below, its obvious that you made quite an impact on a lot of people in a short time. May you rest in peace knowing that my thoughts and prayers are with you on this day, and every day that I pull on one of my "953" road race shirt's.

Sergeant
Connecticut State Police

September 2, 2009

God bless you, Brother.

Rest in peace.

Anonymous

August 2, 2009

I worked with you on the mid shift at D-1. Charbo was a class act. He was a "worker" and so dedicated to the MSP and his friends and family. And there were many. I was so impressed with Mark that I wondered if he would someday be the head of the MSP or better. I loved working with him and there's not a day goes by that I don't think about you. May you rest in peace my good friend. TC

Anonymous

July 16, 2009

Mark,

I did grow up in St. Peter's Parish, but didn't really know you since you were a bit older. Over the years I have had the pleasure of getting to know your family and understand why you were such a great man. Your family is filled with love and I know they miss you so much, but have many, many wonderful memories of you. I just wanted you to know even though I may not have known you well that I think of you often and feel that your family is blessed knowing you are watching over them.

A friend

A Family Friend

January 20, 2009

I KNEW CHARBO LONG BEFORE HE BECAME A TROOPER AND TO THIS DAY I STILL MISS HIM.HE WAS TYPICAL BOSTON CITY KID AND YOU HAVE TO BE ONE TO KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.I KNEW HIS FAMILY AND I THEY KNOW I'M NOT A BIG PRAYER MAN BUT THIS KID DESERVES ANY PRAYER SAID FOR HIM!HE WORKED HARD AND WAS EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT,TO THE POINT I USED TO JOKE "CHARBO YOU'RE GETTING TO SMART FOR A CITY KID BRING IT DOWN A NOTCH".I COULD GO ON FOR PAGES BUT REST IN PEACE BUDDY AND GOD BLESS ONE OF THE BETTER LAW ENF. FAMILIES BOSTON HAS EVER SEEN!

F-TROOPER
MSP

October 5, 2008

Mark , HoooRahhh- Carry on Trooper. You are Never forgotten. God Bless You. My Sympathy to Your Family.

Timothy A. Topulos
Massachussets State Police

September 8, 2008

On the 24th anniversary of Trooper Charbonnier’s death, we honored his service during roll call by reading his entry from ODMP. Each day, we honor one fallen officer on the anniversary of their death so as to keep them in our thoughts, and also to remind us of the dangers inherent in our job.

Trooper Charbonnier may be gone, but is not forgotten.

Sergeant Jeffrey W. Timmons
First Responder Unit
United States Capitol Police
Washington, D.C.

Anonymous

September 2, 2008

Whenever I see "953" I think of you; I still see the stickers on cars. I had the great pleasure to meet your mother in a waiting room in a Boston-area hospital a few years ago. I saw the brass "953" pin she wore and introduced myself. You are missed and never forgotten.

Anonymous

April 30, 2008

Happy 45Th birthday Mark. I love you and miss you.

Steven Charbonnier

March 26, 2008

Mark, you may not remember me all that much, but I remember you. I am Jimmy's little sister. The one that let Stephen and Jimmy land a horsehoe on my head!!!! At the cabin in Lakeville !!! LOL!!! I admit, I didn't get you know you all that well, your Aunt Rita (My Nana) was very sick and we didn't get to see much of the family. We actually don't really see your side at all anymore. :(

I remember the morning you weere murdered. The strange thing was that I had a dream that night of someone (no one in particular) dying and of the following events. I woke up and my mom (Auntie Eileen) was crying; it was on the news; you gave up your life to mske us safe.

The following days were hard, I was kinda young; I saw a Candanian Mountie literally fall apart at your wake; it was the most moving moment I'd ever seen in my whole life. Until then, I was taught that authority had no emotion. You had to be stoic, accoriding to belief; I was wrong. You do what you have to. People deal in different ways.

I wanted to be a police officer after you died, I wanted to keep you fresh, but I'm not cut out for that; I still think about you often. I know you're not here in person, but maybe in spirit.....

Thank you and I hope you are at the arms of the Angels,

Kristin Coady-Wein
[email protected]

Kristin Coady-Wein
cousin

March 8, 2008

Wicked bright kid with a great work ethic and he was born to law enforcement. He treated his co-workers with respect and was a fine young man. I used to have trouble understanding why he left a nice safe and very well paid career to be a cop, not any more.

Keith L Hatfield
His Supervisor at Computervison 1983-1984

March 3, 2008

"The Badge"
He starts his shift each day
To respond to calls unknown.
He drives a marked patrol car.
A police officer he is known.
He's paid by the citizens' taxes
To make it safe on the streets.
But he usually has a second job
'Cause a waitress has his salary beat.
Now he doesn't know a holiday
'Cause he works all year round.
And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive
At his home he cannot be found.
He's cursed and assaulted often,
The one whos blood runs blue.
He seldom ever gets a thanks,
To some he's just a fool.
His friends are always other cops
'Cause people just don't understand
That underneath his badge and gun,
He's just another man.
He knows there might not be a tomorrow
In this world of drugs and crime.
And he gets so mad at the court system
'Cause the crooks don't get any time.
And each day when he leaves for work,
He prays to God above.
Please bring me home after my shift
So I can see the ones I love.
But tonight he stops a speeding car,
He's alone down this ole' highway.
It's just a little traffic infraction.
He does it everyday.
Well, he walks up to the driver's window,
And his badge is shining bright.
He asked the guy for a driver's license,
When a shot rang through the night.
Yes, the bullet hit its mark,
Striking the officer in the chest.
But the Department's budget didn't buy
Each officer a bullet-proof vest.
So he lay on the ground bleeding.
His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red.
And briefly he thought of his loved ones
'Cause in a moment the officer was dead.
In the news they told the story
Of how this officer had died.
And some who listened cared less,
But those who loved him cried.
Well, they buried him in uniform
With his badge pinned on his chest.
He even had his revolver,
He died doing his best.
Written By:
David L. Bell
Sergeant
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Used with Special Permission of the Author
Copyright © 1999 - All Rights Reserved
and may not be duplicated without permission

Investigator David L Bell
Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC

November 8, 2007

we met once on 1989,just found out the sad news yesterday.
very very sorry.

h x

September 8, 2007

Trooper Charbonnier,
On today, the 13th anniversary of your murder, I would like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for the ciitzens of the state of Massachusetts. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.

R.I.P.
Anonymous

Anonymous

September 2, 2007

Trooper Charbonnier.It was my pleasure to donate two K-9 protective vests and one in your memory trooper in a award on May 26 2001. Later on I had the pleasure to meet your loving wife and members of your class at a K-9 training session in Blue Hills. Troooper Charlie Kane was there also.God Bless you Trooper! You have completed your tour.

Bobby E.Earls-2006 Formerly of Norton & Now Ocala Fla.

S/A Bobby E.Earls
Conrail Police-Boston( RET)

December 7, 2006

Twelve years ago today you were murdered leaving behind many friends and family. As a member of the Harvard University Police Honor Guard I attended your funeral and was in awe of how mobbed the streets of Dorchester were that day. I still see your cruiser number from time to time, on t-shirts and the back windows of passenger cars and whenever I pass your memorial marker on Rte. 3, at the site of your heroic stand, I turn off the radio until I’ve passed.

God Bless and may you continue to Rest in Peace, Brother.

Ptl. Jim Leahy, Jr.
Harvard University Police Dept.

September 2, 2006

Charbo;
You will never be forgotten.
Rest in peace.

Massachusetts citizen

June 21, 2006

Charbo,
You are not forgotten..

Wingman
Road Dawg Motorcycle Club

December 13, 2005

On 07/08/05 RTG 42-05 remembered trooper Mark S. Charbonnier and dedicated our training day to him.

You are not forgotten.

Boston Police Academy RTG 42-05
BPD

November 21, 2005

RIP, Troop. We will take it from here.

Trooper - 72nd RTT
Massachusetts State Police

September 27, 2005