City Council Honors the Buchanan Eight

The Buchanan Eight were honored at the City Council meeting on Nov. 8, 2021. (Courtesy of hubbardbarogolf.com)

The Clovis City Council presented a proclamation honoring the “Buchanan Eight”.

On the evening of November 8th during their weekly council meeting, Clovis City Council took time out of their agendas to recognize the “Buchanan Eight”.

The “Buchanan Eight” are eight former students from Buchanan High School who passed away while on active duty during their respective times in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The members of the eight are Rowan Walter, Jared Hubbard, Jeremiah Baro, Anthony Butterfield, Matthew Abbate, Brian Piercy, Nathan Hubbard, and Nicholas Eischen.

Before the eight were named as such, local friends of Corporal Baro and Lance Corporal Jared Hubbard started a golf tournament in 2005 after Baro and Hubbard were killed in action in 2004. To this day, the tournament, known as the Hubbard-Baro Memorial Golf Tournament, is played each year on Veterans Day to honor the “Buchanan Eight”.

This is the 17th annual tournament since it began. The proceeds that come from the tournament are given to the Fresno VA Hospital. The money has been used to help build the new rehabilitation center at the hospital.

This is not the only recognition that has been given to these brave soldiers. In 2008, the Hubbard Act was passed which allows the sole survivor of families to take an honorable discharge and return home with full benefits.

This act came after the brothers of Jared Hubbard enlisted after the death of Jared. In 2007, the youngest of the three brothers, Nathan, was killed in action. This led the oldest brother, Jason, to return home.

Councilmember and veteran Drew Bessinger spoke about his admiration for Clovis as the community has carried on the legacy of these fallen soldiers.

“This has been a difficult situation for Clovis and I’m proud of the way we stepped in and put our arms around these families in honor of these young men,” Bessinger said. “Every service member, when they raise their hand and swear an oath to protect and defend, knows that this is the potential price that we all have to pay, so thank you.”

You can watch the full proclamation on the City of Clovis YouTube Page and on the City of Clovis website under “Agendas”.

If you want to participate in the Hubbard-Baro Memorial Golf Tournament in the future, you can visit the website at https://www.hubbardbarogolf.com/.

I am 27 years old, born and raised in Fresno, California. I am the youngest of 4 kids and am a full time student at Fresno State University. I am happily engaged to be married to my fiance Daniella. My favorite sports teams are the L.A Rams, Dodgers and Lakers. I have two dogs and one cat. I have my own podcast called “The Two Minute Warning” Podcast that you can listen to on any platform that you listen to your podcasts.