Armand J. “Goose” Gosselin Jr.

Armand J. “Goose” Gosselin Jr. of Fairbanks, Alaska—formerly of Lawrence, Massachusetts—passed away unexpectedly on April 13, 2014 by suicide.

A warrior, a brother, and a devoted family man, Armand answered the call to serve his country with honor. He proudly wore the uniform through his time in the National Guard and the United States Army, completing multiple deployments to Haiti, Cuba, Iraq, and Afghanistan before recently retiring from active duty. Those who served alongside him remember a man who stood shoulder to shoulder with his brothers—loyal, courageous, and unwavering.

Beyond the battlefield, Goose was building a future. He was attending the University of Alaska, pursuing a degree in business, driven to create a life of purpose beyond service. He was also an active member of SOPAH, where his curiosity and passion led him into paranormal investigation, and he never missed a chance to cheer on his beloved Boston teams.

But above all, Armand was a family man.

He was the beloved husband of Lindsay Lund, and a proud and loving father to Courtney and Kyle Gosselin of Massachusetts, and Lillian, Robert, and Anthony Lund-Gosselin of Alaska. His greatest mission was always his family.

Goose leaves behind not just memories, but a legacy of service, sacrifice, and love—a man who lived fully, served boldly, and stood for something greater than himself.

He will never be forgotten.

Goose was with us at our Forward Operating Base, he was a mechanic and worked on our Strykers with Bco 1-24 IN BN. He came out and recovered Cordo’s vehicle when we lost him. During the recovery the MGS Stryker was hit a second time as they were removing the vehicle. I was directly behind the vehicle and watched a huge Stryker wheel fly 300 yards through the air. Goose was in the vehicle towing the MGS out of the kill zone.

A more devastating fact was I was going through my medical evaluation board and retiring from the US Army i stopped in the hallway to talk with my liason. A staff member had a file and Goose’s name was on the file. She said, I’ve had this file on my desk for about three weeks. We were supposed to give him a referal for mental health. I looked at her and her boss and said, no need to worry about it any more. The boss asked why we don’t need to worry. “Because he killed himself this past weekend.” To the civilians in the loop, we are more than a file. I am sure no accountability came from this incident. But Goose was a funny guy. His loss is felt.-Dan Jarvis