Army Spc. Marc P. Decoteau

Died January 29, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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19, of Waterville Valley, N.H.; assigned to the 6th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Jan. 29 at FOB Nunez, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations.

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Small resort town suffers another war casualty

The Associated Press

WATERVILLE VALLEY, N.H. — This small town is reeling from the death of another local resident who died in military action. Army Pfc. Marc Paul Decoteau was killed in action in Afghanistan on Jan. 29, according to military officials.

Decoteau was stationed in Afghanistan as part of a Psychological Operations unit based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., Maj. Greg Heilshorn of the New Hampshire National Guard told the New Hampshire Union Leader. His remains were to return Jan. 31 at Dover, Del., Air Force Base, military officials said.

Decoteau was the son of Mark and Nancy Decoteau of Waterville Valley. He enlisted in the Army after his graduation in 2008 from Plymouth Regional High School.

Four years ago, the community suffered another war loss when Army Capt. Doug DiCenzo, another Plymouth Regional graduate, was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.

Decoteau was an outstanding student-athlete at Plymouth Regional High School, where his football coach, Chuck Lenahan, said he was “as good as they come.”

“He was there every day at practice, doing anything he could to benefit the team,” Lenahan said. “He was one of those kids who never got in trouble. Everyone liked him.”

Close family friend Bill Dauer of Plymouth — his son, Spencer, played football with Marc Decoteau — said grief has hit the community “like a ton of bricks.”

“It’s been very devastating and traumatic,” said Dauer, who attended West Point in the early 1980s with Decoteau’s father, Mark.

Mark Decoteau, the soldier’s father, is town manager in Waterville Valley, which has about 300 year-round residents. The loss also is being felt in Warren, where Nancy Decoteau is town administrator.

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Decouteau’s funeral scheduled

The Associated Press

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — A funeral is planned this weekend for a New Hampshire soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Nineteen-year-old Army Spc. Marc Paul Decoteau of Waterville Valley was killed Jan. 29.

WMUR-TV says a memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Feb. 6 at Decoteau’s alma mater, Plymouth Regional High School.

Decoteau’s family released a statement Feb. 3 thanking everyone in their community and the state for their support.

Instead of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Marc P. Decoteau Memorial Fund at Community Guarantee Savings Bank in Plymouth to benefit the Plymouth Regional High School lacrosse team.

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Hundreds witness fallen soldier’s return

The Associated Press

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — Hundreds of people in a New Hampshire town have honored a local soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.

Schoolchildren, Boy Scout troops and high school athletic teams were among those who stood near the Douglas Dicenzo Memorial Bridge in Plymouth on Feb. 5 to pay tribute to 19-year-old Army Spc. Marc Decoteau, whose casket was escorted by state police and fire trucks in an hour-long procession from Concord. Decoteau died Jan. 29.

He enlisted in the Army after his 2008 graduation from Plymouth Regional High School, where he was remembered as an outstanding student-athlete, helping to win two state football championships. His family lives in Waterville Valley.

A funeral service is scheduled at the school Feb. 6.