Thomas Dostie, of Somerville, joined the U.S. Army in 2001 at the age of 17. He wanted to become a diesel mechanic. His life was cut short three years later in Mosul, Iraq.
A suicide bomber detonated explosives at Forward Operating Base Marez’s mess tent at approximately noon Dec. 21, 2004. Twenty-two were killed; one was Dostie.
The attack rocked Somerville and Lincoln County. Thousands gathered to escort Dostie’s body home and support his family and friends as they laid him to rest.
Ten years later, Spc. Thomas “Tommy” Dostie is alive in the memory of the family, friends, and community that loved him.
Michael and Peggy Dostie were active members of the community. Michael Dostie currently serves as Somerville’s fire chief, works at Spurwink, a mental health and education service provider in Chelsea, and was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
In addition to Tommy and his older brother Timothy, the Dosties helped raise over 52 children as adoptive parents and foster parents. Longtime friend Ron Cyr Sr. and his wife Linda raised their family four houses down from the Dosties.
Michael Dostie convinced Ron Cyr Sr. to move his family to Somerville. Together they built their houses. “He’s the best friend you could ask for,” Michael Dostie said.
Ron Cyr Sr. described their friendship as the kind where one of them wouldn’t buy a tool without checking in with the other, because if one of them had it there would be no need.
That friendship was passed down to the next generation. Tommy and Timothy grew up with the Cyrs’ children, Jason and Ron Cyr Jr., who both served with Tommy in Iraq. Their house was a lively one.
Peggy and Michael Dostie spoke of some of the jokes they would play on their extended family.
Peggy Dostie would serve their kids dinner on paper plates, then tell the newest addition to their household they would have to wash them. “They would always be so confused by that,” Peggy Dostie said with a laugh. The Dostie family tradition on birthdays involved throwing a pie in the celebrant’s face.
Tommy Dostie became well known for his practical jokes as well. “He could make you laugh so hard you wanted to puke, or make you so mad you wanted to strangle him,” Timothy Dostie said. “He could even get the French out of grandmom.”
Tommy was described by friends and family as a country kid with a lot of energy. He spent his summers fishing, boating, and waterskiing. Peggy Dostie spoke of the motorboat she gave Tommy one year. “It spent more time tied to the dock than it did out on the water,” she said, remembering all the trouble Tommy got into with it.
His antics in the motorboat included pulling donuts around a canoeist and trying to jump it over a beaver den. “That was a riot,” Ron Cyr Jr. said. Six years Tommy’s senior, Ron Cyr Jr. used to babysit for Tommy. “Everything fell out of the boat except for him and the gas tank, which he had to catch to keep it in,” he said.
In the winter, Tommy loved to snowmobile. Michael and Peggy Dostie recalled a new sled they got for their children one Christmas. After everyone had a turn on it, Tommy took it out. He promptly rolled it 11 times, breaking it. “He loved to go fast,” Michael Dostie said. “He wanted to get the max out of everything.”
Angeli Dostie, now Timothy’s wife, was in study hall with Tommy at Erskine Academy. He used to pick on her by seeing how much he could lift off of her before she noticed. Those things he took just to annoy her included her bracelet, her books, and even her shoes. “I could never figure out how he did it,” she said.
He also raked up an impressive number of speeding tickets since getting his driver’s license. “I wasn’t around much when Tommy started driving,” Ron Cyr Jr., who was in college at that point, said. “That might have been a good thing.”
Tommy was known for driving things as fast as they could be driven. He was also known for helping his father rebuild small engines, assisting with construction projects in the neighborhood, and helping others through difficult times.
Following news of his death, the Dosties were flooded with calls and letters from Tommy’s friends. Many told the Dosties of how much Tommy had helped them when they were struggling through hard times.
“I had no idea,” Michael Dostie said. “I had no idea how many people he’d been helping.”
Inspired by a military recruiter who visited Erskine Academy, Tommy Dostie enlisted in the Army in March 2001 at 17. His parents had to sign for him to join. “He was so proud of himself when he joined,” Michael Dostie said. He attended boot camp between his junior and senior year in high school.
Following graduation, he served with the National Guard’s 152 Component Company attached to the 133rd Engineer Battalion, performing maintenance on trucks. In February 2004, his unit was deployed to Iraq.
They ate meals together, hung out in the barracks, and visited on breaks from work and talked about the day or life back home.
Tommy’s love for speed did not stop in Iraq. Michael Dostie said Tommy would call home as often as possible to give updates on his life in Iraq.
Michael Dostie would talk to the other men in Tommy’s unit on their phone calls. They told him they could always tell when Tommy was driving because a truck would barrel through the base with dust kicked up behind it.
Tommy spoke with his father about wanting to experiment with nitrous oxide in the trucks on base to see if he could get them to go faster. “His need for speed definitely didn’t slow down,” Michael Dostie said.
Ron Cyr Jr. was asleep in his barracks on Dec. 21, 2004, recovering from a 24-hour shift at the aid tent. Tommy Dostie was in the chow hall to have lunch. A suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi soldier entered the dining area and detonated.
Twenty-two people died in the attack; 75 were wounded. Maine National Guard’s 133rd Battalion lost two men – Army Sgt. Lynn R. Poulin, of Freedom, and Spc. Thomas Dostie. Ron Cyr Jr. did not learn that Tommy was one of the casualties until later that night.
Woken up after the blast, Cyr reported immediately to the aid tent and began to tend to over 50 wounded people lined up in need of help. The victims in the attack were announced that night at the base’s chapel. Cyr said he blacked out when Tommy’s name was read. He does remember sitting in the chapel long after everyone else left.
The memory of learning about Tommy’s death is blurry for Peggy Dostie as well. She said it was months before she could remember details from the time period. For Michael Dostie, however, every detail of that day is etched in his memory.
He remembers the phone call from Ron Cyr Sr. while at work at Spurwink. He remembers Ron telling him to wait there for him. He remembers Ron and Linda Cyr driving up to the school. He remembers seeing the military vehicle with them.
“I knew then what it was about,” Michael Dostie said through tears. “I knew what they were there to tell me.” Ron Cyr Sr. had seen the army chaplain and military notification officer at the Dosties’ house when no one was home. The Cyrs brought them to Michael Dostie and stood by when they delivered the news.
The outpouring of community support, however, has helped them heal.
The Dosties’ phone did not stop ringing once news of Tommy’s death spread. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office was needed to direct traffic when the community held a vigil for Tommy Dec. 22, 2004. A long motorcade of state troopers, sheriff’s deputies, and fire trucks escorted Tommy’s body from the airport to the funeral on Dec. 31, 2004.
The procession was so touching to those that participated, it was commemorated in the book “Blue Lights in the Night: Best Life Stories of a Maine State Trooper” by Mark Nickerson.
The Erskine Academy gymnasium was filled to capacity for Tommy’s services. Hundreds gathered outside as well to pay their respects. Friends, neighbors, co-workers, soldiers – all came forward to share their stories of Tommy with the Dosties and express their sorrow and support.
In place of flowers, the Dosties requested donations be made to the Somerville Fire Department. Over $19,000 was raised. The money funded a desperately needed addition to the fire department.
“He would be really happy about that,” Michael Dostie said. “He always wanted to do things for the community and give back like that.” The addition was dedicated to Tommy.
The call number that Tommy worked under as a volunteer firefighter has been permanently retired at the Somerville station. There will never be another No. 8.
Ten years later, the Dosties still receive phone calls and visitors who check in with them and talk about Tommy. Every year, soldiers from his unit hang a flag at his grave. Every year, around December, Ron Cyr Jr. also visits Tommy’s grave.
“I lost a friend, a brother, a soldier,” Ron Cyr Jr. said. “I wish it never happened, but it did.”
Ten years later, Tommy Dostie is remembered as a soldier who died in the bombing at the mess hall at Base Marez. He is remembered as a fun-loving kid that knew how to push people’s buttons. He is remembered as a brother, a son, and a true friend.
