Retired State Trooper Paul Protzenko Laid to Rest

About two dozen members of the Connecticut State Police bid goodbye to one of their own Monday morning, as funeral services for retired Trooper Paul Protzenko were held in Enfield.

Protzenko, who retired from the state police in 2009 after 22 years of service, was killed in Afghanistan July 9 while working as a police trainer for Military Professional Resources Inc., a private defense firm that contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. He was 46 years old.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and U.S. Rep. Joseph Courtney were among those in attendance at the 90-minute service inside St. Adalbert Church on Alden Ave.

Rev. Edmund O'Brien recalled Protzenko's "delicious, almost boyish sense of humor...Paul was a wonderful son, husband, father and grandfather, he was deeply loved and will always be missed."

Longtime friend Jack Robinson delivered the first of three eulogies for Protzenko. "We are all in awe of his bravery, humility and heart," Robinson said. "Freedom is not free - Paul paid the ultimate price, and he will always be our hero."

Robinson said he talked with Protzenko before his most recent return to Afghanistan. "He said if anything happens to me, there's something I want you to do," Robinson recalled. With that, he asked Protzenko's colleagues at MPRI, the state police officers and military veterans to stand and be applauded.

Ray Smith, Protzenko's program manager at MPRI, said, "All who served with Paul trusted and respected him, and we could always rely on him. Though he is no longer with us, he is still an inspiration to all of us."