DOB/DOD: October 1, 1964 (Agawam, MA) – July 9, 2011; 46 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married Lyse M. Coulombe Santaniello (1954-)
CHILDREN: Two stepsons, Anthony J. Santaniello, Jr. (1978-) and Matthew C. Santaniello (1986-). One stepdaughter, Jennifer Jeffers (1975-)
LOCAL ADDRESS: Eleanor Road; Enfield
EMPLOYEE: MPRI, Inc.
FAMILY: Born to Harry H. (1932-) and Beverly J. Boyce Protzenko (1933-2016). Two sisters, Colette Protzenko Sparks (1956-) and Traci Protzenko (1961-).
CIRCUMSTANCES: Paul Protzenko was killed when an Afghani Army soldier opened fire on the convoy he was riding in. He was employed by Military Professional Resources Inc., a firm that does training and security work for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army. Paul Protzenko was training Afghanistan national police members to work at crime scenes. Also killed in the incident:
Army Sergeant First Class Terry L. Pasker; Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Agawam (Massachusetts) High School Class of 1982
From Defense Visual Information Distribution Service on May 31, 2011
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Amber Ashcraft
PANJSHIR ANP [Afghan National Police] FIRST TO GRADUATE CSI [Crime Scene Investigation] TRAINING
PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – More than 20 Afghan National Police members from Panjshir Province were the first to graduate from a crime scene investigation class in Bazarak Municipality, Afghanistan, on May 24.
Task Force Red Bulls rule-of-law office funded the four-day class, held by the law enforcement professionals attached to the Panjshir Embedded Training Team. It consisted of Afghan rule-of-law criminal procedures, crime scene procedures from the initial investigation through the prosecution in court, and the physical collection and preservation of evidence to be presented in court.
“Before the graduation, we wanted the class to break into teams and work in simulated crime scenes,” said Paul Protzenko, a law enforcement professional. “We set up a murder/homicide scene and a breaking/entering situation. The teams used investigation kits and got right to work on collecting evidence and evaluating the crime scenes.”
Using the training they learned in the CSI class, the students established specific roles for the investigation, collected biometrics of the witnesses and a victim, and obtained evidence from the crime scenes, including weapons and fingerprints.
The students split up their roles in the investigations to include the photographer, evidence collector, witness interviewer, and sketch artist. The teams used investigation kits provided by the rule-of-law office to accurately pull up fingerprints and collect all evidence found. “For the actual time in class being so short, those in attendance were very eager to learn new investigative skills and how to use the kits,” Brown said. “This is the first investigative training that went a little more in-depth into lifting fingerprints, taking better crime scene photographs and information about ballistics from weapons.”
Following the review and evaluation of the investigations, Afghan National Police Brigadier General Qasim Jangalbagh, the Panjshir Provincial Police Chief, joined the class to pass out certificates during the graduation.
“I appreciate the instructors for having this crucial training,” said Qasim through an interpreter. “It is very beneficial, and I hope for more crimes to be solved with the knowledge of these new skills and resources.”
Three more classes will be held to train more than 60 ANP members. Investigation kits will also be signed out to individual units of the members that attended, including the Criminal Investigation Division, Afghan National Directorate of Security, and Counter-Narcotic and Intelligence units.
“When many of us started as investigators, practical training was never given,” said ANP Deputy Daber of the CID department at the Provincial Headquarters through an interpreter. “Now that we all have had more hands-on practice with professionals, we’re confident that we’ll be able to catch guilty suspects using the knowledge and kits we attained from the class.”
From The Des Moines (Iowa) Register July 14, 2011
By Tony Leys
FINAL TRIP ENDED TRAGICALLY
Guard missions were routine in the Afghan area where a Cedar Rapids soldier was slain last week
The tragedy that struck the Iowa National Guard last weekend shows how, in Afghanistan, even a routine errand in a supposedly safe place can turn deadly. A small contingent of Iowa Guardsmen in the northeastern province of Panjshir had run 182 missions without serious complications since arriving last fall. Just days away from returning home to Iowa, they headed out Saturday morning for one last mission. Their destination was a town 45 minutes down the road, where they were to instruct local police officers on handling criminal cases. Then, they would say goodbye to some of the Afghan officials they’d been mentoring before returning to their small base to continue packing. But in a flash, a rogue Afghan soldier killed two Americans and wounded a third along the roadside before being shot to death. Scores of angry villagers then surrounded the cluster of Americans, threatening to kill more of them. The Iowans’ commander said Wednesday that without the heroic reflexes of one of his sergeants plus a large dose of good fortune — many more Afghans and Americans probably would have died. Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Glynn of Ankeny told The Des Moines Register that the trouble began when an Afghan soldier waved down the second of four lightly armored pickup trucks carrying the Iowa troops, civilian contractors, and interpreters. The Americans didn’t know the man, but they could see he was a member of the national intelligence service. “He used his uniform to get us to stop. We usually wouldn’t stop for anyone.” Glynn said by phone from Afghanistan. The commander noted that some media reports have said the man argued with people in the truck. That isn’t true, he said. Instead, the man immediately fired into the pickup, killing its driver, Sergeant First Class Terry Paster of Cedar Rapids, and a civilian contractor, Paul Protzenko of Enfield, Connecticut. Master Sergeant Todd Eipperle of Marshalltown. who had been driving the pickup in front of Paskes’s track, stopped his vehicle and ran back to confront the attacker. The gunman, who had reloaded, wheeled around and fired from a few feet away. Eipperle later told his commander, “He said it was shocking. “He looked me right in the eye and shot me,” Glynn said. The master sergeant, who was hit in his right hip and left knee, returned fire as he fell to the ground. He hit and killed the gunman, undoubtedly saving the lives of a second American contractor and two interpreters, Glynn said. The lieutenant colonel and a handful of other soldiers had been following in two vehicles a few minutes behind the first two trucks. By the time the second group arrived on the scene, outraged villagers had gathered and were yelling at the Americans. The gunman was from their village, and the villagers might not have understood that he had started the gun battle that led to his death, Glynn said. The villagers threatened to fetch guns and rocket-propelled grenades and attack the rest of the Americans. Afghan police did little to help quell the crowd, and they urged the Iowa commander to move his soldiers out of the area. Glynn said he refused and summoned medical evacuation helicopters to the scene. While two of his soldiers prepared a landing zone, Glynn and four others fended off a crowd of 150 to 200 screaming villagers for the 20 to 30 minutes it took for the helicopters to arrive. “It was like a really bad movie,” he said. I was just praying to God that we wouldn’t have to open fire and that they wouldn’t open fire on us.” Armed U.S. aircraft could have been called in to help, he said, but that could have caused many more deaths. Eventually, the medical helicopters took the dead and wounded away, and the rest of the shaken unit was able to withdraw. The incident happened in an unexpected spot. Panjshir is a fiercely independent area whose people managed to keep out the Soviet army and the Taliban and allied themselves with the Americans. The Province is so safe that U.S. soldiers rarely drive the heavily armored trucks seen nearly everywhere else in Afghanistan in which Afghan forces will formally take control of security this year. Several of Glynn’s team members had already left the province and were preparing to start their 7,000-mile journey home before Saturday. “The guys that weren’t there, kind of feel guilty — that they weren’t there to help,” Glynn said Wednesday. “I told them it was not their fault. They were doing their mission. They were doing what they were supposed to do. There was nothing else we could have done.” Eipperle was flown to an Army hospital in Germany this week and has been able to get up and walk a bit, said his wife, Julie Eipperle. She said he hopes to be transferred to a military hospital in Fort Riley, Kansas, this week. Julie Eipperle said her husband credited his 25 years of Guard training for his ability to react instantly to Saturday’s attack. “From the way it sounds, if he’d had to think about it, the outcome might have been different,” she said. Todd Eipperle, 46, previously deployed to Kuwait and Iraq. He re-enlisted for six more years during his current deployment. After the ceremony this spring, he sent Julie a photo of Glynn swearing him in on a mountaintop near their small base. “He loves his job; he loves the National Guard. He believes in what he’s doing,” said Julie Eipperle, who supports his decision. She hopes the Guard will face fewer overseas deployments in the future, but she’s sure her husband would be willing to go on another one if he’s called. “He didn’t sign up for another six years just to sit home,” she said. The Iowa Guard held a memorial service for Pasker at Bagram Airfield on Wednesday, and his comrades will continue mourning as they return to the United States. Glynn said Pasker, 39, was an upbeat, matter-of-fact soldier who was proud to be on his second tour of Afghanistan but talked often about his plans to retire from the military. “He saw this as his last hoorah before he returned home and focused on his contracting business and starting a family,” the commander said. Protzenko, the American civilian who was killed, was a retired Connecticut state trooper who helped teach Afghan police how to conduct proper investigations, Glynn said. Protzenko and another retired American police officer served with the Iowans during the whole deployment, and they were essential members of the team, the lieutenant colonel said. Glynn’s unit was cobbled together from soldiers from around the state, many of whom had never served together before this deployment. But they became especially close because they were such a small group. Glynn said despite the deployment’s tragic ending, he said, they should always remember their contributions to Panjshir, one of the most promising areas of Afghanistan. He said Guard commanders would make sure the veterans receive any support they need to deal with the deaths of their comrades. Army investigators are looking into the Afghan gunman’s motives. Glynn said he couldn’t speculate on that issue. Afghan officials told the New York Times that the man was a bodyguard for a top commander in the Afghan intelligence service and was not believed to have any ties to the Taliban.
From The Des Moines (Iowa) Register July 18, 2011
SOLDIER RECALLS AFGHANISTAN SHOOTOUT
The Iowan is home days after shooting a gunman who wounded him and killed two comrades.
MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA – Here’s how determined Todd Eipperle is: You can shoot him in one hip and in the other knee, and he’ll still find a way to bounce his baby granddaughter on his leg. He performed the feat on his couch Sunday afternoon, making 8-month-old Lola grin as if she understood how lucky she was to have her grandpa alive. Eight days earlier and 7,000 miles away, a strange man in Afghanistan killed two of her grandfathers’ comrades and then tried to kill him. Eipperle, a master sergeant in the Iowa National Guard, was wounded, but he saved himself and several others by shooting back and killing the attacker. The incident happened during what was supposed to be the soldiers’ last mission before they returned to Iowa with more than 2,800 other National Guard troops. Eipperle’s trip home included short stays in Army hospitals in Afghanistan. Germany and Kansas. He has at least a month of rehabilitation ahead in Kansas, but he was granted a few days’ pass home so he could attend today’s funeral of his friend, Sergeant First Class Terry Pasker of Cedar Rapids, who was killed in the attack. The gunman hit Eipperle from a few feet away, but the bullets passed through his hip and knee without damaging any bones. “It’s just incredible,” said the soldier, who can hobble a bit on crutches. Eipperle, 46, said the shooting brought a bizarre, tragic ending to a productive deployment to Panjshir province, one of the most tranquil spots in Afghanistan. No one in his 10-man unit had fired a shot in anger until last Saturday. It’s a nice, quiet, peaceful little province… That’s why it was hard for me to realize at first that this was actually happening,” he said of the attack. Six of the unit’s soldiers had already left the province to begin their trips home. Eipperle, Pasker, and two others had stayed behind to finish up a few tasks and to show the ropes to their replacements. On Saturday morning, Eipperle was driving a lightly armored pickup truck to a training and farewell meeting with Afghan policemen. Pasker was driving a second truck. As they passed through a village, they saw a broken-down car by the side of the road and an officer from the national intelligence agency waving them down. Eipperle said they didn’t know the officer, but they decided to stop. “I thought, ‘Well, they must need help, and we’re supposed to help,’“ he recalled. His interpreter asked the security officer what was wrong, and the officer immediately started shouting angry questions, including why the Americans were there. “My interpreter said. ‘We need to get out of here. This guy’s crazy.’ Eipperle radioed the second truck to say they were moving on. But the people in the second truck apparently didn’t get the message because they didn’t immediately follow. Eipperle said he drove 50 feet or so, then got out of his truck because he figured the radio signals weren’t carrying in the mountainous area. As he waved his arm forward in a “let’s go” motion, he saw the gunman fire a pistol into the second truck. Eipperle wasn’t wearing his body armor or helmet because American soldiers don’t routinely do so in Panjshir. There was no time to put the equipment on now, so he just grabbed his assault rifle and ran toward the second truck. He looked in and saw that Pasker and an American contractor, retired Connecticut state trooper Paul Protzenko, were gravely wounded. Then he saw the gunman, who had reloaded the pistol, aiming at him from behind the truck. “I’m pretty sure he was planning on killing us all,” Eipperle said. Eipperle shouted at him to stop, but the man shot him in the hip and the knee. As Eipperle fell backward, he fired about six times, hitting the gunman in the chest. As soon as Eipperle could collect himself, he fired a couple more times. “At that point, I wasn’t taking any chances,” he said. The master sergeant said he didn’t have time to be frightened during the incident, which he figures took less than two minutes. The terror of it hit later. He said his commander has said Eipperle’s actions undoubtedly saved other lives, including those of two interpreters and a second American contractor. Eipperle plans to attend Pasker’s funeral, which is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. today at the River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids. He doesn’t think he’ll have the strength to speak publicly, but he’ll quietly remember the way his friend brought life and fun to their little unit. Pasker, 39, had been married for just a few years, and he intended to start a family. He was proud to have deployed twice to Afghanistan, but he was ready to retire from the military and concentrate on his carpentry business. “He’d be bragging. “Yeah, I’m gonna be retired in six months. I won’t be seeing you guys anymore,’” Eipperle recalled with a smile. “He’d harass us every day. “You guys are going to be doing drills, and I’m going to be sitting home.’ He really rubbed it in.” Eipperle, who previously served in Iraq, re-enlisted for six more years while he was in Afghanistan. But because he already has served more than 20 years in the military, he would be allowed to opt out of any future deployments. In fact, he could have declined to go last summer, but he’s glad he went. In civilian life, Eipperle is a longtime administrator for the Boy Scouts, and he’ll continue to tell the young men he meets about the experiences he’s had in the National Guard. We don’t want them to be discouraged about the military,” he said. “I still think it’s a really good opportunity.”
From The World (Coos Bay, OR) on July 28, 2011
By Diana West
IDIOTIC POLITENESS DOCTRINE IS KILLING SOLDIERS
This week, the madness of the counterinsurgency doctrine (COIN), which drives the war in Afghanistan, reached new heights — or depths — as revealed by two news stories. In Great Britain, a former Royal Marine told the Sun newspaper after the inquest into the 2010 death of Sergeant Peter Rayner that soldiers were prevented from opening fire at Taliban fighters in the act of laying IEDs (crude, handmade bombs) so as not to disturb the local population. So as not to disturb? In Iowa, a community mourns the death of National Guard soldier Terry L. Pasker, who, along with contractor Paul Protzenko, was last week in yet another attack by an Afghan army soldier. The reports U.S. military considered the area so safe that soldiers didn’t wear body armor, so as not to offend the friendly locals.” So as not to offend? Fear of offending has long been a salient feature of our culture. It’s become an expression of a self-deprecating, if not self-loathing, society where the “dead white males” who brought us “Hamlet,” the Constitution and the light bulb have become embarrassments for non-Western religion, the very lack of which is deemed offensive. Since 9/11, however, this psychosis has had a new application — the ultimate point of my book The Death of the Grown-Up (St. Martin’s Press, 2007). In today’s war zone, fear of giving offense is fatal, as noted above. But it also applies as the foundational precept of “dhimmitude,” the twisted state of non-Muslims in thrall to Islam, a condition long observed and documented by the visionary historian Bat Ye’or. The fear of giving Muslims offense is the most profound acquiescence to Islamic cultural pressures because it is driven, at base, by a conviction that self-preservation as a non-Muslim is itself offensive in a Muslim society. The fact is, Muslim societies across time and continents have forced non-Muslims to pay a tax, the jizya, to remain non-Muslims and have inflicted all manner of humiliations, physical and mental, upon them as a matter of Islamic law, or Shariah, for doing so. Where Islamic law is not officially in effect, Bat Ye’or explains, the de facto state of dhimmitude may still arise and flourish in the habitual appeasement of Islamic sensibilities to forestall the occasional violent eruption or attempt — the odd 9/11, 7/7, or thwarted Times Square bombing. The net effect of all this appeasement, this dhimmitude, is the creeping — galloping incursions of Islamic law into non-Islamic institutions and societies. In Afghanistan, the same triggers are in place. We have an infidel army walking on eggs to placate, cajole, and bribe an Islamic society into supporting what are, any way you cut them, infidel values and interests against those of the indigenous Islamic jihadist groups. To this end, Western military authorities now specifically ordain that the Quran must be revered (or else freedom of speech must be denounced by the highest Western military officials (or else violence might ensue). These capitulations on bedrock Western traditions of speech, conscience, and human rights could occur only under a debased leadership, military and civilian. When the fear of giving offense to the local Islamic community (by shooting Taliban or wearing body armor) trumps self-preservation (by shooting Taliban or wearing body armor), we know the military’s dhimmitude is complete. What I am describing, of course, is the execution of the COIN doctrine to win Afghan “trust,” also known as “hearts and minds.” As Brigadier General Steven Kwast put it in 2009: “Victory in this conflict is about winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people and engendering their trust. When the Afghan people trust us and believe us when we tell them what we’re going to do, we will win this overnight.” Tell it to the Easter Bunny. Meanwhile, our troops pay the price, and our military is dhimmified. Taking off troops’ body armor so as not to offend friendly Afghans? Are they kidding?
Memorialized on the Veterans Wall in Johnny Ro Veteran’s Memorial Park, Mechanic Street, and Johnny Appleseed Lane, Leominster, Massachusetts.
Condolences from leetestevens.com
Dear Trooper Paul Protzenko Family,
Everyone was feeling as though their spine froze when we heard about the attack. It worsened when we heard how SFC Terry Pasker and MPRI Trainer/Advisor for ALP Paul Protzenko were involved in that unfortunate attack on 9 July 2011. My sincere condolences and I wanted his family and children to know he was incredibly strong, smart, intelligent, and respectful. This news hit all of us very hard. While we were at Bagram from 4th July or shortly earlier, we were rapping up our mission to Panjshir and getting ready to head home when this news by 11 am or so broke into our office by a new Lieutenant Colonel who walked into the office and very smoothly and succinctly without making it any more or less than what it was, told us, some of our friends from Panjshir FOB Lion were involved in a fatal shooting, in fact more than two. One survived and is at Bagram Hospital recovering. MSG Todd Eipperle. I wanted you to know we had a great respect for Paul and all those civilians and U.S. military who were involved closely with training the Afghan Police. God Bless, and may his soul and his memories be with you forever. RIP.
— Felix Gregorian, Major, U.S. Army (retired)
Paul was a rare and unique man. I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of his life. He served proudly, professionally, and honorably as a US Army Paratrooper, a Connecticut State Trooper, and finally, as a representative of the United States training foreign police officers. Paul had many difficult periods in his life, but the quality that all will remember him by was his positive attitude no matter how bad the situation. His sense of humor always could brighten your day. He loved serving his country, the public, and, most importantly, his family. Quiet and reserved most times, he taught me what it meant to sacrifice for others. In his heart, the most important things in his life were his children, whom he loved dearly, and above all, his devoted wife. I will live the rest of my life regretting that I had lost touch with Paul over the last few years. People like Paul are a rare gift to those of us who have the chance to know them. Rest in peace, my friend. I will never forget you.
— Dave Michalczyk
A Tribute to my favorite brother, Paul Protzenko by Colette Sparks, his oldest sister.
My brother Paul was born on October 1, 1964. He was a big, beautiful blond baby. He was loved dearly by his parents, Harry and Beverly, and his sisters, Traci and Colette. He was kind and gentle. He was of slight stature and was bullied in school. He learned to think smarter and train his body and mind to be strong so that he wouldn’t be bullied anymore. He was an altar boy, a Boy Scout, and a fabulous brother. He served as an altar boy at my wedding in 1974.
He went to schools in Agawam [Massachusetts] and worked at the corner gas station. He had a great sense of humor. People would ask for directions to Riverside Park. He could be very creative. He had developed a strong work ethic early in life by mirroring his parents. We enjoyed vacations in Maine as children. Playing in the surf and collecting shells was an enjoyable activity. Paul collected stamps and Beatles music. Paul was very proud of his 1964 Mustang. He enjoyed traveling, adventures, meeting people, and going out to eat. You would never know it to look at him.
He was always thoughtful, helpful, mindful, and selfless. He was always trying to protect people. He participated in karate tournaments during his tour of duty with the 82nd Airborne. He was dropped into the Panama Canal with his full pack and the company radio. He was prone to pneumonia after that episode. I picked him up at the airport when he got out of the army. He had his duffle bag and his sense of humor. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. | told him to put me down and that | was the big sister. He laughed and walked out of the airport.
My brother did in several weeks of his early adult life what most people would spend much longer to do. He graduated from the police academy, got married to Lyse, who had three children, bought a house in Enfield, CT, and began working as a state trooper in H Troop. He was very good at all of these things. I was always in awe of him. He was so strong and able to manage so many responsibilities at once. He worked overtime frequently. He was so good with the kids. He was a true inspiration.
He went to Asnuntuck Community College to earn his degree in criminal justice. He always wanted to obtain the next higher level. When he was in the Airborne, he had hopes of being in the Special Forces. He worked on his marksmanship skills while he was a State Trooper. He learned how to invest for his retirement without needing a financial advisor. He had a dream of retiring to Myrtle Beach and enjoying his family and dog. He thought it might be fun to be a food critic. He loved to eat.
I used email or Skype to communicate with Paul while he was working for MPRI. We used to exchange family photos and talk about ways to use our MacBook Pros to keep in touch. I had hoped that we would video chat, as I wasn’t able to see him on his short trips home as often as I would have liked. He enjoyed his photography and was planning to send some new pictures just as soon as he got enough bandwidth. He always asked how the pups were doing. They were just as important as another family.
I knew something was wrong on Friday. I had an overwhelming feeling of dread. I had sent a message to Paul before I went to work. He didn’t respond. He was online when I sent the message. He always responded, even if it was a little later. I always checked when I got to work and again when I got home.
Saturday was the worst day of my life. My husband and best friend, Ed, came to work to tell me my favorite baby brother had been killed in Afghanistan. I am so heartbroken. He had so much love for life and family. This was a place where he was working so hard to help these people have a better life. He frequently said the locals really liked and respected him. He had been there the longest of any of the team members. He should not have died the way he did. He was not in a combat position; he was teaching.
I received an ecard from him on the Fourth of July in which he stated, “Freedom isn’t free.” What a price he paid.
My parents, sister, and I, along with our husbands, are devastated. He was such a joy. Just a very positive, happy, great person. I always prayed that he would be kept safe from harm. I will continue to pray for him, love him, and miss him always.
May you rest pain-free free my favorite brother. I love you. You will be in my heart forever. Colette, the oldest sister.
Testimonial from Traci Protzenko, Paul’s sister
Anyone who was familiar with my brother knew that he lived to serve others. It was his mission from an early age. Paul was a kind, caring, and considerate person who was always ready and willing to help others. This started early in life with him providing help to the elderly in his community (raking leaves, helping with chores, or just a visit when someone was lonely). He was also an altar server at his church in Agawam, Ma. His entire adult life was dedicated to the welfare of those he served, both in the state of CT and the United States of America. Upon graduating from high school, Paul wished to emulate his father, who was a veteran of the Korean War, so he enlisted with the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army. During his enlistment, he functioned as a paratrooper serving on several foreign bases, the longest assignment being in Vincenza, Italy. During his tenure, he achieved the rank of Sergeant and earned many medals and badges. After successfully completing his service to his country, he was honorably discharged and returned home to Agawam.
In 1988, Paul applied to the Connecticut State Police Academy and was accepted. He graduated as a member of the 98th Training Troop on September 8. Paul proudly served the State of Connecticut as a Trooper First Class (Badge # 1244) for 21 years until his retirement in 2009. Paul received a meritorious service medal and a life-saving medal twice during his tenure with the State Police. Upon his retirement, he was recommended by the State Police for the position in Afghanistan. As such, he left immediately for Afghanistan to work as a member of a Police Mentoring Team. Paul served as a Law Enforcement Professional (LEP) with the Department of Defense. Paul was embedded with various military units, with the goal being to train Afghan police officers in order to help the country form a more stable government. Paul took great pride in his work and was respected by his team as well as the village elders. He took his assignment very seriously and worked diligently to bring about productive and effective changes to the Afghan people. In May of 2011, Paul was instrumental in bringing the first crime scene investigative class to more than 20 Afghan National Police Members. This innovative class was well received and written up in the Army Magazine, “Stars and Stripes.”
Paul spent over two years working with various military units and was considered an integral part of the team and someone who could provide valuable insight into police matters. Quotes from team members: “Paul’s sense of humor was widely known among the Provincial Reconstruction Team. “He would brighten spirits and attitudes.” “He was a wonderful person who always had a smile and a kind word for others, along with a great sense of humor.” “He was a great American and a great representative of Americans who showed great dedication to duty and in his attempts to help the Afghan people.” “Paul was strong, steady, and demonstrated profound humility; he was the embodiment of a public servant, and I am a better person for having known him.”
Paul died carrying out the cause he believed in, that being the dedication to the needs and well-being of others. He gave 100% of his effort to each of his service-oriented jobs. He completed them with dignity, along with a sense of pride and commitment to duty. He always had a warm, wonderful, and enduring smile that could light up a room and put others at ease. He was good-natured, friendly, funny, upbeat, and maintained a positive attitude. He viewed problems as challenges to be solved rather than as insurmountable tasks.
Paul was born a fair-haired child with an angelic face and was instantly loved by his parents and two older sisters. He was an active child who studied karate, played baseball, and skied. He loved the beach and spent his summers as a youth at Ocean Park Beach in Maine. As a child, Paul was accident-prone and was the cause of many gray hairs in his mother. This concern continued throughout his life as Paul engaged in one dangerous job after another. His family was always worried for his safety but were supportive of his wishes and dreams. Paul loved his many adventures in life and always found a positive aspect to each. Throughout his life, Paul was a ray of sunshine to all of us. Paul did not become a hero at the time of his death; he was a hero his whole life. He sacrificed himself both in his personal and professional lives, always putting the needs of others first. His death is an incredible loss to our family and has left a huge hole in our hearts. My parents, sister, and I will love him always and profoundly miss him for the rest of our lives.
Memorialized with a bench at the Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial, Walnut Grove Road, Middletown, Connecticut.
Award in his name during the American Legion State Police Week program.
Paul Protzenko is inurned in Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main Street, Agawam, Massachusetts; Section Wall E, Row B, Plot 8.
