We Honor and Remember:

SPC Alain L. Kamolvathin
Hometown: Blairstown, NJ
Age: 21
Died: January 16, 2005, in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Unit: Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, NY

BLAIRSTOWN — A 21-year-old soldier from Blairstown, described by a close family friend as devoted to his family and fond of military service, died Sunday while serving in Iraq.
Spc. Alain L. Kamolvathin, 21, died in Baghdad, Iraq, in a motor vehicle accident, the Department of Defense said in a statement Tuesday. Kamolvathin was assigned to the Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, based in New York City.

Marilyn Maring, of Blairstown, a close friend of Kamolvathin’s family, remembered the young man Tuesday as a person who cared about his loved ones. “He was very intelligent and nice — a quiet young man very devoted to his family and friends,” Maring said. “He would do everything for his family and friends.”

Both of Kamolvathin’s parents died when he was a teenager. His mother, Marie, died of cancer about four years ago. His father, Chokchai, died of a heart attack in 2003. He was constantly in touch with his many aunts and uncles and his only immediate relative, his 12-year-old sister Sidney, who lives in Blairstown, Maring said.
“He loved Sidney with all of his heart and was very devoted to her,” she said.

Maring believes Kamolvathin joined the National Guard for educational and travel opportunities.
“He really liked the service,” Maring said. “He liked his buddies and he liked to stay physically fit.”
Kamolvathin attended North Warren Regional High School until 1999, when he was a sophomore, according to the school’s yearbook. Upon leaving the high school, his mother home schooled the teen until her death in 2000. He continued his education by taking computer courses and earned his general equivalency degree at age 19.
After his father died, Kamolvathin lived in Queens with his father’s family, Maring said. He also visited his mother’s family in Pennsylvania. Kamolvathin joined the National Guard after he received his GED. He graduated from basic combat training at Fort Knox, Ky., in 2003. Kamolvathin had been in Iraq since October, Maring said. He was a scout. She last heard from Kamolvathin about two weeks ago. He never talked about his responsibilities while serving in Iraq.

“He was a well-respected person,” Maring said. “He did his job well over there.”
 
Burial:
Long Island National Cemetery
Farmingdale
Suffolk County
New York, USA
Plot: SECTION R SITE 2865K

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