DOB/DOD: February 23, 1975 (Hartford, CT) – January 2, 2004; 28 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Engaged to be married to Wendy Rosen (1974-) of Hartsdale, New York.
LOCAL ADDRESS: 25 Arapahoe Road; West Hartford
COMMISSIONED: May 31, 1997
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 12A; Engineer, General
UNIT: Company B, 4th Engineering Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division; Fort Carson, Colorado
FAMILY: Born to Alfred H. (1950-) and Mary A. Luneberg Paliwoda (1950-). One sister, Allison Paliwoda Csoka (1976-).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal with device, Army Achievement Medal with device, National Defense Service Medal with device, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Expeditionary), Global War On Terrorism Medal (Service), Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, Engineer Badge, and the Valorous Unit Award.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Captain Paliwoda was killed in action when his command post came under mortar attack in Salah ad Din, Iraq, near Balad.
Conard High School (West Hartford, CT) Class of 1993. In 1992, Eric Paliwoda was named a top-20 high school basketball player in the state.
Memorialized with a monument in front of Conard High School, West Hartford. One of three people in this book who graduated from Conard High School. The others are McMahon & Philippon.
West Point Class of 1997. In 1997, Cadet Paliwoda won the Patriot League championship in the hammer throw while on the track and field team at West Point.
From The Stars & Stripes on January 8, 2004
By Rick Scavetta
SOLDIERS IN IRAQ MOURN CAPTAIN
BALAD, Iraq — Last Friday, as enemy mortar shells rained down on Forward Operating Base Eagle, Captain Eric Paliwoda rushed to his mobile trailer to don his gear. One of nine shells that fell that afternoon sent shrapnel into Paliwoda, snuffing the life out of a company commander described by his troops as a gentle giant who took good care of them. “He put on a tough persona, but then he’d turn around and tell you a joke,” said Sergeant 1st Class Michael Smith, 2nd platoon sergeant. “Everybody’s felt a big loss.” Soldiers from Company B, 4th Engineer Battalion, gathered on Wednesday to pay tribute to Paliwoda. The 1997 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point took command of the company in May. A 28-year-old Connecticut native, Paliwoda was engaged to Wendy Rosen. He is survived by his parents, Alfred and Mary. He also leaves behind a company of combat engineers who are both saddened by his death and determined to find the enemy fighters responsible for a wave of recent mortar attacks. The soldiers are getting used to hearing incoming shells. “You hear a boom, with a sort of crack to it,” said Sergeant Joseph Kokes, 25, of Woodbury, Minnesota. “If it’s real close, you hear it whistle.” That afternoon, many soldiers thought the first mortar impact was a controlled detonation of captured explosives, said Corporal Keoni Escobido, 23, of Honolulu, who was in his trailer playing video games when the attack began. “When you hear that second blast, you know it’s an attack,” Escobido said. “We grab our gear and run to the tracks.” Soldiers in Company B are trained to take cover if rounds land close. Then, they grab gear, mount vehicles, and head out to find their attackers. During the barrage, flying shrapnel struck Staff Sergeant Todd Moyer as he ran toward his squad, said Sergeant 1st Class Michael Smith, 37, of Willits, California. Moyer was wounded in the arms and back. He was evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he is recovering, Smith said. After the attack, helicopter crews located four Iraqis near where the rounds were fired. As troops were reeling from the loss, Iraqi insurgents struck again Monday. Thirteen mortar rounds fell on their camp. Working from a local informant, soldiers are holding six more Iraqis who are now being interrogated. An Iraqi artillery officer is suspected of helping the enemy mortar crews fire effectively, said Lieutenant Colonel Nate Sassaman, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment. “The last two attacks have been fairly accurate,” Sassaman said, adding that he intends to take out the mortar cell. Company B is attached to Sassaman’s battalion. Since last April, the company has operated in some of the theater’s toughest areas: Tikrit, Kirkuk, Samarra, and Balad. It has done everything from demolishing weapons caches to conducting infantry raids. This week, Company B engineers were allowed time off from missions as they improved force protection measures around the camp, which they renamed FOB Paliwoda in honor of their fallen commander. “This has brought everyone closer,” Smith said. “We’ll just keep doing the same things as a team. We’ll keep going out after them.”
From FindAGrave.com
Eric was the beloved son of Alfred and Mary Paliwoda of Sedona, Arizona. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his fiancée, Wendy Rosen of Hartsdale, New York, his sister and brother-in-law, Allison, and Captain Jeff Csoka of Clarksville, Tennessee. He graduated from West Point in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science Degree and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. Following graduation from the Academy, Eric traveled to Fort Hood, Texas, where he served as both a Platoon Leader and an Executive Officer for an Engineering Battalion. He then moved to Fort Carson, Colorado, where he was the Battalion Personnel Officer and Assistant Brigade Engineer for the 3rd Engineering Battalion. Over the course of his career, Eric was awarded both the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal twice, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. He will also be honored with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star posthumously. Eric had served as Company Commander for Bravo Company, 3rd Engineering Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom since April 2003. He had also recently been chosen to return to West Point as an instructor in the Department of Environmental Studies.
From Legacy.com
United States Army Captain Eric Thomas Paliwoda, 28, formerly of West Hartford and Farmington, was killed in action on Friday, (January 2, 2004) in Balad, Iraq. Born February 23, 1975, in Hartford, Eric was the beloved son of Alfred and Mary Paliwoda of Sedona, Arizona. In addition to his parents, his sister and brother-in-law Allison and Captain Jeff Csoka of Clarksville, TN, his fiancée Wendy Rosen of Hartsdale, NY, and his uncle, aunt, and cousins Thomas, Susan, Michael, and Cailin Luneburg of Danville, CA survive him. Eric is predeceased by his maternal grandparents, Phyllis and Thomas Luneburg, and paternal grandparents, Helen and Jan Paliwoda. Growing up in Farmington, Eric attended West District Elementary School and Irving A. Robbins Middle School. Eric graduated from West Hartford’s Conard High School in 1993, where he was an exceptional student and an All-State and All-American honored basketball player. During high school, he received a congressional nomination and was accepted to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Eric entered the Academy in 1993, and over his four years there, he was a member of the Army’s Division I Basketball and Track & Field teams. He graduated from West Point in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. Following graduation from the Academy, Eric traveled to Fort Hood, Texas, where he served as both a Platoon Leader and an Executive Officer for an Engineering Battalion. He then moved to Fort Carson, Colorado, where he was the Battalion Personnel Officer and Assistant Brigade Engineer for the 3rd Engineering Battalion. Eric’s extensive military education included graduation from the Engineer Officer Basic course, the Scout Platoon Leaders Course, the Armor Officer Advanced Course, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, and the Cavalry Leaders Course. Over the course of his career, Eric was awarded both the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal twice, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. He will also be honored with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star posthumously. Eric had served as Company Commander for Bravo Company, 3rd Engineering Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom since April 2003. He had also recently been chosen to return to West Point as an instructor in the Department of Environmental Studies. Eric will be terribly missed by all of those who knew, loved, and cherished him. As a special leader and friend, he reached, touched, and changed many lives during his brief time on this earth. Services will be held Monday, January 12, at 1:30 p.m. in the Old Cadet Chapel at West Point, New York. Burial will follow at West Point Military Cemetery.
Memorialized on the Connecticut Veterans Memorial, Farmington Avenue, and North Main Street, West Hartford, Connecticut.
From FallenHeroesMemorial.com
“Captain Paliwoda was the first in the company he was leading to welcome our Civil Affairs team into his FOB when we arrived. His concern for our welfare was surprising, considering the fact that he had just met us that November day. After moving with his company to Camp Eagle (renamed Camp Paliwoda in his recognition), Paliwoda was the first to greet us at the mess tent during the Christmas meal, thanking us personally for our contributions. After his death, the town of Yathrib held a funeral for him. The town of Yathrib, a village next to Balad, absolutely loved this man, as shown by the hundreds of mourners gathered for his funeral. Captain Paliwoda, I cannot express the grief I feel in my heart. When the time comes, I’ll see you on the other side, sir.”
— Kendrick Lau of Newton, MA
Captain Paliwoda is buried in the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, 329 Washington Road, West Point, New York; Section XXI, Row E, Site 84.
