Marine gets a 'yes' at fireworks proposal

It was more than a night of fireworks and funnel cake for one Marine and his girlfriend at the Freedom Fest in Nottingham on Saturday.

Marine Lance Cpl. Mark Abbott got down on his knee in front of an estimated crowd of 13,000 onlookers and proposed to his sweetheart of two years just before the first shot was fired in the air.

And, in front of that same crowd, Haleigh Boutin accepted.

Abbott, 26, popped the question at about 9:30 p.m. following several hours of live music and a tribute by Herr Foods president Ed Herr to the armed forces.

Herr then asked Abbott and five of his fellow Marines from Camp Lejeune, where they were based, to come to the stage and be honored. Herr explained also that he had learned Abbott was from Oxford and asked him to say a few words to the crowd.

At that point Abbott announced to the onlookers that he wanted them to help him say something to his girlfriend, who had stood by him and supported him through his two-year deployment to the Middle East, including Iraq.

That's when Boutin, 23, came to the stage, surprised, emoting, holding her face and blushing, suddenly aware of what was about to take place.

After Abbott presented Boutin with the ring, he held out his hand to the audience and announced, "She said, 'Yes.'"

A lot of planning went into Abbott's surprise proposal, and it involved more than just the future groom.

For one thing, he had to clear the event with the county, with security and with Ed Herr ahead of time. Fortunately for Abbott, that planning went rather smoothly, thanks to the accommodations by Herr.

"I called Herr's and talked to marketing events coordinator Jen Arrigo. It turns out she was my Sunday school teacher. She said they'd help. It was my plan, but we needed clearance from the county. Ed Herr lined 'em up and knocked 'em down," he said.

Abbott also talked to some of Boutin's friends and both of the families, with the result that 50 family members from five states as far away as North Dakota and Texas were present for the event. They hid behind the trees until the proposal so Boutin would not know they were there.

Boutin said later she was told that when she and a friend lined up at the bathroom, some of the relatives were a few folks in front of them in line and they had to duck out of the line so she wouldn't see them.

As for how the plan played out, Abbott said he spent a lot of time putting it together -- almost like a military command order. He said he chose the fireworks to propose because last year he and Boutin went there together, and she was so taken with the event she said she wanted to come back the next year.

Abbott said while he was deployed on ships sailing around he imagined how he wanted to propose to Boutin. That's how he devised his plan.

Now, he said, his traveling days are over and his remaining days in the service will be spent at Camp Lejeune teaching new recruits martial arts and how to do their jobs. He will be able to visit Boutin from North Carolina every other weekend, he said.

For her part, Boutin, of West Chester said she was completely surprised by the occasion, but not by the extravagance of the proposal. "I'm very happy. I knew he would do something big, but I was impressed that he kept it a secret for so long," she said.

She said she met Abbott in 2004, and they were in good friends until he joined the Marines. "When he went to Iraq, he got in touch. When he was home we dated.

Last August he returned to Iraq and then back to America in March, when they began dating more regularly.

She said they have not set an exact date for the wedding, but have talked about fall of 2010.

Boutin is a graduate of West Chester East High School and works as an account assistant and market coordinator with Vanguard ID Systems. She said the 4th of July has always been her favorite holiday.