Army Spc. Christophe J. Marquis

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Christophe J. Marquis, 40, of Tampa, Fla.

Spc Marquis was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; died Sept. 4, 2011 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of injuries sustained Aug. 27 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

Spc Marquis was born in was born in Strasbourg, France. He joined the French Foreign Legion as an infantryman in 1990. He deployed to Bosnia and French Guiana in South America. He earned the rank of staff sergeant while in the Legion.

“Specialist Marquis was a warrior in the truest sense of the word,” said Capt. Christopher Gardiner, the commander of Troop A, 5th Sqdn., 1st Cav. Reg.

“There is no one who exemplifies the warrior lifestyle more. (His) attention to detail and dedication to mission was phenomenal and an example to junior troopers around him.”

“Soldiering was what Marquis loved to do and he let nothing get in the way,” added Pfc. Daniel Bridges. “He especially had a way of continuously lightening the mood day-in and day-out whether it was (with) his French dance or his many other ways of making people laugh,” Bridges said Specialist Marquis was the epitome of a Soldier,” said Staff Sgt. Aloysius Domme, a squad leader with Troop A. “He was a Soldier (who) everyone, including myself, learned from.”

“He could take any situation and pull the positives out of it in a way to make people feel better about what’s going on,” Domme said. “He always brought a smile to our faces. He was, in his own way, a morale boost.”

“He was a great Soldier and more importantly he was a good friend, my friend,” Domme said. “He will not be forgotten. It was an honor to serve with him and a privilege to know him.”

“Marquis was a good Soldier, knowledgeable, helpful and willing to carry the heaviest loads, and it’s clear his platoon-mates liked and admired him,” said Lt. Col. David Hardy, the commander of 2nd Bn., 8th Inf. Reg. “He came from a different background and he was a little older than the rest and he had a different accent but he was right at home among his fellow Soldiers.”

Few have a story like his, Hardy said. He went from the Legion to owning a bar in France to owning a bar in Florida, but ended up in the U.S. Army because he loved being a soldier.

He moved to the U.S. in 2007 and joined the Army in April 2010. He arrived at Fort Wainwight in February 2011. He deployed to Afghanistan in April. He served as a M240 gunner and a biometrics equipment operator.

Awards and decorations include:

Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Combat Infantryman Badge
National Defense Service Ribbon
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Afghan Campaign Medal

Army Spc. Christophe J. Marquis died on 9/4/11 from injuries received in action on 8/27/11.