The annual Motorcycle Scholarship Run, in memory of Ahn Pachem, will take place August 2, starting at the Cohanzie Firehouse, Waterford.

by Maren Schober

His friends and family called him “Ahn.”  His fellow Marine friends called him “Chuckles” because of his sense of humor and his laughter.  Ahn died in Iraq March 23, 2003 in an ambush outside of Nasiriyah. He was 22 years old.

Paul and Anutarapon Patchem, Ahn’s parents, chose Arlington National Cemetery for the burial to honor him as a hero.  Ahn is the 16th casualty of the Iraq war to be buried in Arlington.

“I will see you one day,” Ahn’s mother, known as Tan, spoke in her soft voice.  “I love you.”

More than 700 people attended the memorial service at Waterford High School to bid farewell to a hometown hero.  It was a dignified and moving ceremony.

“I am very proud to have him as a son,” Paul Patchem said.  “Ahn is an angel. That is a fact for me.”

“Our family came to this country from Thailand when Ahn was nine years old,” Tan tells me.  “There was me, Paul, Ahn, and his older brother Kemapasse Chanawongse.”

“Ahn’s grandfather, a former commander in the Thai Air Force, inspired Ahn to enlist in the Marines after Ahn graduated from Waterford High School in 1999,” Tan explains. “Ahn was assigned to a Regiment at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.”

“Ahn has many friends in Waterford,” Tan continues.

“He liked to drum, draw, go hiking and play soccer with his friends. I have a special memory of him.  One night when Ahn was a teenager, he jumped into his friend Lindsay’s  backyard swimming pool with two friends.  It was about 10:00 p.m.  Lindsay’s mother was very angry.  Of course I told Ahn that it was very wrong to do that.  Ten years later I found out from Lindsay’s mother that the very next day Ahn returned and apologized.  He was the only one of the boys to do that.  I am very happy to know that even after ten years!”

Tan remembers how much Ahn loved her. “When he was in the Marines he always made sure he got “leave” to visit me on my birthday!  The last time we saw Ahn was in January of 2003 when we went to see him off to Iraq at Camp LeJeune. I didn’t realize it would be the last time we would see him.”

“Tan and I started a Scholarship Fund inspired by Linda Mariani and with the assistance of Paul Eccard, Don Macrino and the Community Foundation of SECT,” Paul explains.

Diane Batte-Holmgren remembers Ahn with love. “When we heard the news about his death, we were devastated,” she acknowledges.

“We started the annual memorial motorcycle run scholarship fundraising event to honor Ahn.  Nowhere Cafe, New London, in conjunction with the Freedom Riders USA, sponsors an annual Scholarship Motorcycle Run to raise funds for a Waterford High School student.  This year’s event takes place Sunday, August 2, starting at 10:00 a.m. at the Cohanzie Firehouse, Waterford.”

For more information about the Memorial Motorcycle Run contact Diane at 860.439.0800.

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