"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." JFK
Captain Travis Lyle Sallee Patriquin gave the ultimate sacrifice -- his life. He, and two others, were killed Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, after a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. His death has been especially hard for our family, but we are taking comfort in the knowledge that God is with us and that Travis was doing what he wanted to do.
He was a career soldier, and he knew from a very young age that he wanted a military career. He was fascinated with survival training in activities such as the Boy Scouts. He was amazing. He could walk on a wire between trees 60 feet off the ground. He loved the thrill and the risk.
Travis was born Aug. 15, 1974, in St. Louis, MO, and grew up in the Bellefontaine Neighborhood with his three siblings, Karrie, Daniel, and Steven. In 1984, his father took a job in the Chicago area, and the family relocated there in 1985. His parents, Connie (Sallee) and Gary Patriquin, currently live in the Lockport, IL area.
Travis had trouble adjusting to Illinois, so he came back to the St. Louis area to attend high school. During those years he lived with Reta (Sallee) and Bill Jenkins, his aunt and uncle. He attended Francis Howell North, earning letters in track and football. Helping the underachievers was something he enjoyed doing.
He enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school. During boot camp, he showed so much leadership potential that he was draw into Ranger training and the sepcial forces. Travis had a gift for picking up languages. He honed his linguistic skills at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, CA, and earned a degree from Campbell University in NC. He spoke seven languages, and was fluent in Arabic. Most of the work he was doing in Iraq is classified as it was his duty to go into many a sheik's home, sharing meals and conversations. He could talk about history, politics, and archaelogy, and he used his people skills to converse with many people in their native language.
Travis developed a powerpoint presentation that explains his ideas on how to win the war. It's eighteen slides long and he wrote it on a 4th grade level, so that anyone he showed it to could understand what he was trying to do.
The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, sent Travis to Afghanistan, where he received a Bronze Star after fighting behind enemy lines. He then was stationed in Germany. At the time of his death, he was serving with the 1st Brigade, First Armored Division in Iraq.
His wife, Amy, and their three children, Emily age 7, Harmon age 5, and Logan age 1, live in Bonstadt, Germany.
Services for Capt. Travis L. Patriquin were held at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Rolla, MO, on Dec. 15, 2006. Internment with Full Military Honors was at the Carty Cemetery in Dent Co., MO. The Pawnee Nation also honored him at the cemetery with songs in their native language and gifts for the children.
There was also a Memorial Service at 10:00 am for Captain Travis L. Patriquin at St. Dennis Church, 1214 Hamilton Street, Lockport on Saturday, January 6, 2007.
Note: Travis is a direct descendant of John Hart, Signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, John Hart lost everything he had -- his farm, his home, his wife, his children, and his life -- for freedom and independence. He was known as "Honest John" and he followed his heart, beliefs, dreams, and hopes to help establish the lifestyle we all enjoy today. Travis did the same thing. History does repeat itself.
Note: The book A Soldier's Dream: Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq by William Doyle was released in June 2011. The author states that Travis was America's T. E. Lawrence.
Captain Travis Lyle Sallee Patriquin gave the ultimate sacrifice -- his life. He, and two others, were killed Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, after a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. His death has been especially hard for our family, but we are taking comfort in the knowledge that God is with us and that Travis was doing what he wanted to do.
He was a career soldier, and he knew from a very young age that he wanted a military career. He was fascinated with survival training in activities such as the Boy Scouts. He was amazing. He could walk on a wire between trees 60 feet off the ground. He loved the thrill and the risk.
Travis was born Aug. 15, 1974, in St. Louis, MO, and grew up in the Bellefontaine Neighborhood with his three siblings, Karrie, Daniel, and Steven. In 1984, his father took a job in the Chicago area, and the family relocated there in 1985. His parents, Connie (Sallee) and Gary Patriquin, currently live in the Lockport, IL area.
Travis had trouble adjusting to Illinois, so he came back to the St. Louis area to attend high school. During those years he lived with Reta (Sallee) and Bill Jenkins, his aunt and uncle. He attended Francis Howell North, earning letters in track and football. Helping the underachievers was something he enjoyed doing.
He enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school. During boot camp, he showed so much leadership potential that he was draw into Ranger training and the sepcial forces. Travis had a gift for picking up languages. He honed his linguistic skills at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, CA, and earned a degree from Campbell University in NC. He spoke seven languages, and was fluent in Arabic. Most of the work he was doing in Iraq is classified as it was his duty to go into many a sheik's home, sharing meals and conversations. He could talk about history, politics, and archaelogy, and he used his people skills to converse with many people in their native language.
Travis developed a powerpoint presentation that explains his ideas on how to win the war. It's eighteen slides long and he wrote it on a 4th grade level, so that anyone he showed it to could understand what he was trying to do.
The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, sent Travis to Afghanistan, where he received a Bronze Star after fighting behind enemy lines. He then was stationed in Germany. At the time of his death, he was serving with the 1st Brigade, First Armored Division in Iraq.
His wife, Amy, and their three children, Emily age 7, Harmon age 5, and Logan age 1, live in Bonstadt, Germany.
Services for Capt. Travis L. Patriquin were held at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Rolla, MO, on Dec. 15, 2006. Internment with Full Military Honors was at the Carty Cemetery in Dent Co., MO. The Pawnee Nation also honored him at the cemetery with songs in their native language and gifts for the children.
There was also a Memorial Service at 10:00 am for Captain Travis L. Patriquin at St. Dennis Church, 1214 Hamilton Street, Lockport on Saturday, January 6, 2007.
Note: Travis is a direct descendant of John Hart, Signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, John Hart lost everything he had -- his farm, his home, his wife, his children, and his life -- for freedom and independence. He was known as "Honest John" and he followed his heart, beliefs, dreams, and hopes to help establish the lifestyle we all enjoy today. Travis did the same thing. History does repeat itself.
Note: The book A Soldier's Dream: Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq by William Doyle was released in June 2011. The author states that Travis was America's T. E. Lawrence.
"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." JFK
Captain Travis Lyle Sallee Patriquin gave the ultimate sacrifice -- his life. He, and two others, were killed Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, after a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. His death has been especially hard for our family, but we are taking comfort in the knowledge that God is with us and that Travis was doing what he wanted to do.
He was a career soldier, and he knew from a very young age that he wanted a military career. He was fascinated with survival training in activities such as the Boy Scouts. He was amazing. He could walk on a wire between trees 60 feet off the ground. He loved the thrill and the risk.
Travis was born Aug. 15, 1974, in St. Louis, MO, and grew up in the Bellefontaine Neighborhood with his three siblings, Karrie, Daniel, and Steven. In 1984, his father took a job in the Chicago area, and the family relocated there in 1985. His parents, Connie (Sallee) and Gary Patriquin, currently live in the Lockport, IL area.
Travis had trouble adjusting to Illinois, so he came back to the St. Louis area to attend high school. During those years he lived with Reta (Sallee) and Bill Jenkins, his aunt and uncle. He attended Francis Howell North, earning letters in track and football. Helping the underachievers was something he enjoyed doing.
He enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school. During boot camp, he showed so much leadership potential that he was draw into Ranger training and the sepcial forces. Travis had a gift for picking up languages. He honed his linguistic skills at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, CA, and earned a degree from Campbell University in NC. He spoke seven languages, and was fluent in Arabic. Most of the work he was doing in Iraq is classified as it was his duty to go into many a sheik's home, sharing meals and conversations. He could talk about history, politics, and archaelogy, and he used his people skills to converse with many people in their native language.
Travis developed a powerpoint presentation that explains his ideas on how to win the war. It's eighteen slides long and he wrote it on a 4th grade level, so that anyone he showed it to could understand what he was trying to do.
The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, sent Travis to Afghanistan, where he received a Bronze Star after fighting behind enemy lines. He then was stationed in Germany. At the time of his death, he was serving with the 1st Brigade, First Armored Division in Iraq.
His wife, Amy, and their three children, Emily age 7, Harmon age 5, and Logan age 1, live in Bonstadt, Germany.
Services for Capt. Travis L. Patriquin were held at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Rolla, MO, on Dec. 15, 2006. Internment with Full Military Honors was at the Carty Cemetery in Dent Co., MO. The Pawnee Nation also honored him at the cemetery with songs in their native language and gifts for the children.
There was also a Memorial Service at 10:00 am for Captain Travis L. Patriquin at St. Dennis Church, 1214 Hamilton Street, Lockport on Saturday, January 6, 2007.
Note: Travis is a direct descendant of John Hart, Signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, John Hart lost everything he had -- his farm, his home, his wife, his children, and his life -- for freedom and independence. He was known as "Honest John" and he followed his heart, beliefs, dreams, and hopes to help establish the lifestyle we all enjoy today. Travis did the same thing. History does repeat itself.
Note: The book A Soldier's Dream: Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq by William Doyle was released in June 2011. The author states that Travis was America's T. E. Lawrence.
Captain Travis Lyle Sallee Patriquin gave the ultimate sacrifice -- his life. He, and two others, were killed Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, after a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. His death has been especially hard for our family, but we are taking comfort in the knowledge that God is with us and that Travis was doing what he wanted to do.
He was a career soldier, and he knew from a very young age that he wanted a military career. He was fascinated with survival training in activities such as the Boy Scouts. He was amazing. He could walk on a wire between trees 60 feet off the ground. He loved the thrill and the risk.
Travis was born Aug. 15, 1974, in St. Louis, MO, and grew up in the Bellefontaine Neighborhood with his three siblings, Karrie, Daniel, and Steven. In 1984, his father took a job in the Chicago area, and the family relocated there in 1985. His parents, Connie (Sallee) and Gary Patriquin, currently live in the Lockport, IL area.
Travis had trouble adjusting to Illinois, so he came back to the St. Louis area to attend high school. During those years he lived with Reta (Sallee) and Bill Jenkins, his aunt and uncle. He attended Francis Howell North, earning letters in track and football. Helping the underachievers was something he enjoyed doing.
He enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school. During boot camp, he showed so much leadership potential that he was draw into Ranger training and the sepcial forces. Travis had a gift for picking up languages. He honed his linguistic skills at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, CA, and earned a degree from Campbell University in NC. He spoke seven languages, and was fluent in Arabic. Most of the work he was doing in Iraq is classified as it was his duty to go into many a sheik's home, sharing meals and conversations. He could talk about history, politics, and archaelogy, and he used his people skills to converse with many people in their native language.
Travis developed a powerpoint presentation that explains his ideas on how to win the war. It's eighteen slides long and he wrote it on a 4th grade level, so that anyone he showed it to could understand what he was trying to do.
The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, sent Travis to Afghanistan, where he received a Bronze Star after fighting behind enemy lines. He then was stationed in Germany. At the time of his death, he was serving with the 1st Brigade, First Armored Division in Iraq.
His wife, Amy, and their three children, Emily age 7, Harmon age 5, and Logan age 1, live in Bonstadt, Germany.
Services for Capt. Travis L. Patriquin were held at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Rolla, MO, on Dec. 15, 2006. Internment with Full Military Honors was at the Carty Cemetery in Dent Co., MO. The Pawnee Nation also honored him at the cemetery with songs in their native language and gifts for the children.
There was also a Memorial Service at 10:00 am for Captain Travis L. Patriquin at St. Dennis Church, 1214 Hamilton Street, Lockport on Saturday, January 6, 2007.
Note: Travis is a direct descendant of John Hart, Signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, John Hart lost everything he had -- his farm, his home, his wife, his children, and his life -- for freedom and independence. He was known as "Honest John" and he followed his heart, beliefs, dreams, and hopes to help establish the lifestyle we all enjoy today. Travis did the same thing. History does repeat itself.
Note: The book A Soldier's Dream: Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq by William Doyle was released in June 2011. The author states that Travis was America's T. E. Lawrence.
