Interviewed by

Max Boulerice and Shay Lyn Risk

That's what's motivating, just getting the job done, getting everyone home safe.

~ Spencer Duquette (6:18)

Spencer Duquette's Story:

Spencer Duquette is a former army sergeant who served in both the Iraq War and Afghanistan War for the United States.

Duquette always knew that he wanted to protect other people and be a part of something "bigger than [himself]". He is a native Cape Codder and attended Nauset Regional High School. Duquette was one of the founding members of the original Nauset Boys Lacrosse Team and also enjoyed working on motorcycles. As a kid he scoured the Go Army website in search of MOS' (the most needed positions) and learned that the infantry lacked members. Duquette knew that by serving in the infantry he would be able to be really involved and make a difference.

So, at the age of 18, Spencer joined the infantry after attending boot camp in Fort Benning, Georgia. From there he traveled to Iraq, where he served for about a year. While there, Duquette lived on an Iraqi army base that exposed him to different people and their cultures, backgrounds, and ways of life. These circumstances caused him to value his team around him, who he calls his brothers, and shares a close bond with. During his free time, Spencer worked out, caught up on sleep, and spent time with his team. As he and his teammates were the first U.S. presence in Iraq, they had the opportunity to really make the base "[their] own". It was during this deployment that Spencer experienced the serious injury that resulted in an unforgettable and extremely emotionally-charged experience. A round had gone through his left arm and he had taken shrapnel to his face and throat as he helped others, but Spencer didn't feel the pain with his adrenaline pumping and a job to do. Eventually, he was extracted from action by a lieutenant and taken to a medical helicopter. However, before receiving medical attention, Duquette was put in charge of an injured Iraqi soldier and heroically helped him to the medical helicopter as well. That ordeal would come to be Mr. Duquette's proudest moment from the war, and something he would never forget.

After a two month break, during his second deployment in Iraq, Spencer lived on a different, larger base. This time he resided within a container housing unit that featured an air conditioning unit and bunk bed, but not all the luxuries some other bases had. He feels that the fact that he wasn't given all the comforts of home furthered his experience and made him stronger.

He returned home November of 2009 and was later deployed to Afghanistan from June of 2011 to June of 2012. While there he resided in a base between Kandahar and the Pakistan border, serving on a personal security detail commanding a gun truck that protected high ranking officers meeting with village leaders, local enforcement, and Afghan military leaders, as well as managing the electronic warfare cell. This means that he was in charge of protecting ground troops against radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (RCIED).

Duquette now resides in Centerville, Massachusetts and is the residential manager for Nauset Disposal. He remains mostly in contact with the squads he served with. Spencer is an active and important member of the Cape Cod Cares for the Troops organization. His outlook on life will be forever changed because of his service after learning the importance of really trying to be understanding of other people's situations and giving back when possible, things he clearly still values to this day. Even if given the opportunity, there is nothing that he would go back and change about his service. Spencer keeps in mind that "everything happens for a reason."