As an Army Ranger who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, Nick Ford thought there was something suspicious about the man seeking holiday donations for military families at Ford's local Stop & Shop.
Paul K. Guilmain Jr. told shoppers that he was an Iraq veteran and National Guard member, but to Ford he didn't look like anyone who'd seen duty in years. The paunchy 44-year-old slouched, went hatless, and wore outdated woodland camouflage fatigues - the kind with the green, black, brown, and beige pattern, not the more modern design. The rank on his sleeve, corporal, didn't fit with his age.
"It took every ounce of restraint not to rip this guy's face off," said Ford, who opted instead for friendliness and a discreet investigation. His sleuthing led to Guilmain's arrest on Christmas Eve at the Woburn Super Stop & Shop, near Ford's home. Guilmain, who lives in Lynn, was arraigned yesterday on charges that he posed as a representative of a national veterans organization and pocketed the money for himself. |