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Community comes out to pay respect to Springfield’s Sullivan

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – On Sunday afternoon, with heavy hearts and quiet reflection, the streets were decorated with American flags to honor a Marine who die...

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - On Sunday afternoon, with heavy hearts and quiet reflection, the streets were decorated with American flags to honor a Marine who died on duty on American soil.

Hundreds of people attended the wake for Marine Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Sullivan.

The Springfield native, along with four of his fellow servicemen, was shot and killed on July 16 after a gunman opened fire at a recruiting station, and a Navy facility, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

You can find complete coverage of the Chattanooga recruiting center shooting here.

Sullivan was remembered as a selfless hero.

He joined the military in 1997 and served three tours of duty with the Marines. He was a two-time Iraq veteran and recipient of the Purple HEart.

While some came to remember him as a brave Marine, others came to remember him as a beloved son and brother.

Sullivan will be buried in a service on Monday, as a community still comes to grips with the notion that man who put his life on the line for his country is no longer with them.

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