Fort Jackson, South Carolina, USA
U.S. Army
SPC , C Co. 123rd Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Company
7/25/2011, Fort Wainright, USA
Now for a little bit of information about my husband.
SPC James Christian Paquette was born June 21, 1971 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Christian was a devoted family man, spending most of his free time with me, his beloved wife, and our two sons. He was a big kid himself, playing superheroes with the boys, “fighting” them for the last piece of cake (although he never won), building blanket tents in the family room and making goofy faces at the dinner table. Christian could also be counted on to help with anything around the house, never complaining about the clogged sinks, broken appliances or hanging thousands of Christmas lights just to make me happy. Almost everything he did in his life, he did for us. We were his pride and joy, you could see it in the twinkle in his eyes, hear it in his voice and feel it in the way he loved us.
Christian enlisted into the Army National Guard in November 2006, graduated Basic Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Shortly after completing AIT, Christian deployed to Afghanistan. Upon his return, Christian transferred to active duty and was stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, serving as a light wheeled vehicle mechanic. Christian enjoyed helping others and could be counted on by his fellow soldiers to lend a hand wherever it was needed.
Christian also enjoyed riding his motorcycle, his prized possession. It was his welcome home gift when he returned from Afghanistan and he and I spent many hours re-building it in our garage. He could often be seen riding around post on his motorcycle, wearing his helmet with the American flag and a big, black mohawk. No matter where he went, he brought a smile to someone’s face when he wore that helmet.
On July 25, 2011, Christian passed away, leaving us with broken hearts. He wanted only one thing in this life, to be loved deeply by me and the boys. I can honestly say, his wish was granted.
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