Soldier's Life Is a Legacy of Love

By Irene Lagan
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 5/1/03)

A hero’s life is not measured in terms of years, but is measured in terms of accomplishment.

On an almost perfect day in every other respect, family and friends of Captain James F. Adamouski gathered for a final tribute to their beloved son, brother, friend and hero. For many, Captain James F. Adamouski, known as Jimmy, was a hero whose life was measured not in terms of time, but by what he achieved and the number of lives he touched in his 29 years. A friend to whomever he met, Jimmy is most remembered by his selfless love for others.

"Jimmy was the embodiment of Christian love," said Bob Hutsfield, his godfather. "He loved others more than he loved himself. He constantly put the needs of others before his own needs."

Many of the almost 900 mourners who packed Nativity Church in Burke last week to celebrate Jimmy’s life wore buttons proclaiming him as "our hero." Father Richard

B. Martin, pastor of the Church of the Nativity, celebrated a Mass of Christian Burial before a memorial service at Fort Myer in Arlington. A long funeral procession tied up much of Rte. 66 during the mid-afternoon.

Quoting from an article about Adamouski that appeared the student newspaper of the Harvard Business School, Father Martin said, "He made the world a better place for many. The responsibility now falls into our hands. Let us make our world a better place."

Adamouski was one of five soldiers killed on April 2 when their Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Karbala, Iraq. The six men who died in the crash were members of Bravo Company of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, based at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

An accomplished leader, athlete and student, Adamouski is also remembered for his warmth and generosity of heart. He grew up in Springfield, where he graduated as president of his class at Robert E. Lee High School and where he first met his wife, Meighan. He was one of three "Distinguished Graduates" in the history of West Point Academy, and was recently accepted to Harvard Business School. Upon completing his degree, he planned to return to West Point to teach economics and raise a family.

Adamouski was an avid soccer player who played on a semi-professional team during his first tour in Germany. According to fellow cadets Ben Rogers and Matt Wiger, he was never discouraged by injuries and was known for his determined ability to continue playing even with the pain of a dislocated shoulder.

Raised Catholic, Adamouski witnessed his faith by his life. During his third deployment in Bosnia, he became an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist and earned the nickname "Father Jimmy" for bringing Communion to soldiers in the field.

"When you think of Jimmy, you think of love," said Ben Rogers, a West Point classmate who gave one of several eulogies at Adamouski’s funeral. "Jimmy came from love, lived in love and left love."

"Jimmy was a brave and noble man who asked for nothing and gave all. He made the ultimate sacrifice to achieve a better world in which he will never live, for people he will never meet," wrote Wiger.

Surrounded by family members, Meighan, his wife of nine months, now a young widow, tearfully received the flag that was draped over Adamouski’s coffin.

Adamouski was the only son of Judith and Francis Adamouski. He is survived by three sisters, Karen Marion, Laura Griffith and Jaclyn Adamouski.

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