Memorial honoring the life of U.S. Navy Cmdr. Duane G. Wolfe held in Baghdad Thursday
Baghdad - Coalition Forces, State Department representatives and Iraqis gathered together May 28 at an afternoon memorial in Baghdad’s International Zone honoring the life and service of Cmdr. Duane G. Wolfe. The Department of Defense announced Wednesday that Cmdr. Wolfe was among three people killed by a roadside bomb in Fallujah on Monday.
Cmdr. Wolfe was the Officer in Charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division’s Al-Anbar Area Office, which falls under the division’s Gulf Region Central district. At the time of his death, Cmdr. Wolfe was conducting site visits at construction projects in the Fallujah area. The team he led is responsible for overseeing nearly $300 million in planned and ongoing construction projects, many of which are providing essential services to the Iraqi people.
The memorial included remarks from Maj. Gen. Michael R. Eyre, GRD’s commanding general; a recitation of the Sailor’s Creed; a memorial message from Chaplain Daniel Middlebrooks; a rendition of Amazing
In his remarks Maj. Gen. Eyre remembered Cmdr. Wolfe as a man who served his nation with “honor and devotion.”
“Commander Wolfe represented the very best of our American military forces,” Eyre said. “He was a Navy Reserve officer who loved his country and he knew that the work he and his team at the Al-Anbar Area Office were accomplishing was making a difference for the citizens of Iraq. His death is a tremendous loss not only for us, but also for the people he was so determined to assist.
“As we mourn the loss of our teammate, we also mourn the loss of a loving husband and father. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family back home. May they find strength and solace in knowing that he perished while upholding the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment.”
Directing his comments to Cmdr. Wolfe’s family back in the States, Maj. Gen. Eyre said, “The entire GRD family is thinking of you today and praying that the sorrow you are feeling right now will be replaced with the good memories of how your husband and father chose to live his life – committed and dedicated to a larger mission.”
Cmdr. Wolfe resided in Los Osos, Calif. He began his military career with the U.S. Navy in 1972 and served on active duty for 5 years. In 1978, he joined the U.S. Navy Reserves and served until his death, May 25, 2009. In addition to his military service, he was a Department of the Air Force civilian employee, working at Vandenberg Air Force Base as the civilian Deputy Commander of the 30th Space Wing Mission Support Group.
Cmdr. Wolfe will posthumously receive the Bronze Star with “V” Device for Valor; Purple Heart; Navy Combat Action Ribbon; National Defense Service Medal with Service Star; Iraqi Campaign Medal; Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device for Mobilization; Overseas Service Ribbon; and the Army Combat Action Badge.
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