The Boston Globe

Metro

A happy homecoming in North Reading

The heart of this community may be on Park Street. The elementary school, high school and senior center are here and so are the police and fire departments.Residents poured out of those buildings today and lined the street to welcome Marine Ben Hodgkins back home. The town’s warm embrace came as a surprise to the lieutenant, who suddenly found himself riding behind a police escort into a crowd of about 500 residents waving US flags and posters.

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