Paul D. Karpowich

by his wife and best friend,

Amanda Gadola Karpowich

 Using one word to describe Paul would be an extremely difficult thing to do considering that his life and the way that he lived it was all encompassing and bursting at the seams.  I have pondered many words, their meanings, and the strength behind what they symbolize and the one word that kept shouting out to me was MOTIVATOR. 

Motivation was Paul’s anthem, the beat that he marched to.  It exuded from his bones and was present in every aspect of his life, from the moment he woke in the morning to the minute he fell asleep at night.  He was driven to do better, to be better; to make his life as well as everyone else’s around him better.  It’s amazing because his motivation was like a drug, an addiction to anyone who was exposed to it even for the briefest of moments.  It brought people together and made them aspire to reach a common goal, a middle ground, and a dream that once seemed so far away until they met Paul. 

Paul was born in Freeland Pennsylvania on July 31^st 1974 to Richard and Jackie Karpowich.  He attended Catholic grade school and High School in Hazleton and joined the Army in October 1992.  After four years of active duty stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina , he returned home to the Poconos in order to attend college.   He received his Associates degree in Architecture from Luzerne County Community College while starting his own construction/carpentry business, which was his true love and talent.  Paul remained in the Army as a reservist even after we relocated to Philadelphia with our two dogs Zoe and Romel.  There he attended Temple University to continue with his studies in architecture and proceeded to get a full-time job at Eye Designs in Collegeville which was still his current employer at his time of deployment.  There he designed office interiors for optometrists and ophthalmologists.

On July 19^th 2003 we were married at my parents’ home in Hazleton .  Eight months later we bought the property of our dreams in the Poconos and spent the entire spring and summer of 2004 with the poohs clearing a lot in order to build a home.  Seventeen acres bordered by state game lands-how perfect for an avid hunter, hiker and outdoorsman!

That fall, our plans were put on hold when Paul received his orders to deploy on October 6^th 2004.  He was stationed stateside for 41 days at Camp Atterbury in Indiana and then shipped out to Iraq in order to train Iraqi troops.  On December 21^st 2004 a bomb exploded in a mess tent at FOB Marez in Mosul at lunchtime, killing my husband along with 15 other US troops.   Something died in all of us that day. 

Months have since passed which is so hard to believe.  It’s funny how vivid memories can be, how a person’s voice could echo in your head so loud that you swear they were standing in the room.  “SUCK IT UP”  and “CEASE”!!!  I am reminded of Paul every single day in some way or another.  Wawa coffee, model planes, camel cigarettes, PB & J’s at night with a cold glass of milk.  His motivation pushes me and gives me the strength to go on with life, a life without him.  He is an amazing person that will be forever remembered by all who ever knew him.  I will never forget you Paul.  I will love you forever.  My strength, my high school sweetheart, my soul mate, my perfect match.

Thank you for being a part of my life and thank you for the gift of your mother Jackie, your father Richard, your brother Phil, Phil’s wife Holly, your sisters Joanna and Krissy , Krissy’s husband Nathan and Nataleigh their daughter, our precious niece.  And of course, Zoe and Romel, without whom I could not sustain.

Read about MSG Paul Karpowich's Military Career