Duane G. Wolfe, 54

Naval Reserve, Commander

Based: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

30th Mission Support Group

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: May 25, 2009

Fallouja (southeast of), Iraq

Married, 3 children

Gender: Male

Hometown: Los Osos

High School: Hueneme High (Oxnard)

Foreign Country of Birth: Canada

Burial: Los Osos Valley Memorial Park, Los Osos, Calif.

Wolfe died from injuries as a result of an attack on his convoy southeast of Fallouja, Iraq. He served 24 years at Vandenberg Air Force base. "Duane's death will leave a hole in the Mission Support Group that can never be filled," said Col. Rick Wright, the 30th Mission Support Group commander. "He was a great team member and an even greater friend."

Blue C. Rowe, 05/26/2009

Jason E. George, 05/21/2009

36 memories of Duane G. Wolfe

“

There is not enough space to write our wonderful memories of Duane Wolfe. They are running like a kalaidoscope through our minds. We have known Duane since he moved to this area to attend Cal Poly in 1977 and became a member of the Cayucos church of Christ. We have had a bonding since day one with he and his family who became part of our family. He was such an honorable, humble, soft-spoken, fun man and an example to so many. Our children grew up together and he and Cindi had an open house to 100's of children through the years. A man of God who lived his life as a Christian and became a deacon in the church with Hoyt. We always knew he was there and that is our biggest regret that maybe we took him for granted and didn't let him know what he meant to all of us. He will be forever missed and we love all the Wolfe family so much.

” — Betsy & Hoyt Fields, May 28, 2009 at 8:43 a.m.

“

To Commander Duane' Wolfe's Family, with my Regards and Condolences! I served under him when he was CWO (Chief Warrant Officer) Duane Wolfe, as my CO in NMCB 17 at Port Hueneme, and My Det. CO, for NMCB 17 Det. 1017. As My Commanding Officer, and Head of Contract Engineer at Vandenberg AFB, CMDR Wolfe, was also a friend & colleague at Vandenberg AFB during my Employment as Lead Carpenter, on the Air Force in house, Asbestos Abatement Team! When we started the Team, He help us contact other shops throughout the base, and outfit our team with tools, supplies, and other necessary items, & needed contacts, so we could Supply the team with everything we needed to get the Asbestos Abatement Team up, and running! During one of my Active Training Sessions at Pt. Hueneme, as a drilling reservist, CWO Duane Wolfe initiated a recommendation that I be nominated as Seabee of the A/T for teaching daily, the Building Skills needed to erect a Strong Back Tent, to our fellow SeaBees in NMC17 which I Re'd a letter for, with Honor! In addition he was also an Outstanding Officer, Commander, Leader, Colleague, a person to have had the Honor to have known, a dedicated Family man, and friend! To say I was even a small part of His Life, is a Fantastic Honor! Duane, it was an Honor to have been commanded by you, known you, worked with you, & to have been mentored by you! You will always be remembered by those who served under, & with you, those you touched in your Professional, and Personal Life, your Friends, whom you also treated as your family, on any base you Graced, with your presence, and For your Leadership in the Air Force, Army Corp of Engineers, and the US Navy SeaBees! But most of all I am sure your loss is felt hardest by your Wife, and family! Thank you CMDR Duane Wolfe Again, for giving everyone your Kindness, friendship, Leadership, and Dedication to our country! "You Gave All of Yourself", "The Ultimate Sacrifice", and "Served the USA", "With Honor", Your Entire life, and for that We will all Miss, & Remember you! May God Bless You!!!
2nd Class PO, NMCB 17, Bruce Siler

” — Bruce Siler, May 30, 2009 at 12:06 a.m.

“

We have known Duane since he and Cindi moved to the Central Coast area in the middle seventies. We watched him develop from a young college graduate into a mature Christian man who dedicated himself to his family, friends, and his job. His soft voice and easy manner concealed the intensity he displayed in his desire to succeed in his military role in the Navy reserve. He seldom spoke of his military experiences, and so those of us who regularly associated with him had little knowledge of his achievements in that field. However, it is not supprising to read of so many glowing praises from his comrades-in-arms. He was a very praiseworthy man, and one in whom we felt a kinship as one would with one's own son. In fact, he had a special brotherly relationship with our own son. We miss him terribly as we mourn this devistating loss.

” — Earle & Mary Murie, May 30, 2009 at 5 p.m.

“

Then the king said to his men, "Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak...King David's lament about his friend's death. 2 Samuel

Indeed Duane, a prince and a son of God has fallen but not with out purpose, he understood the power in Paul's words; "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12)

Duane will be greatly missed most of all by his wife and children, those who knew him, loved him and served with him.

Until that day when all things will be new again, we press toward that high calling of the Son of God. Thank you Duane for being the Christian disciple and servant leader you are! In Him, OC

” — Oran Cogdill, June 1, 2009 at 4:10 p.m.

“

I had the pleasure of serving under Commander Wolfe while he was the CO for NMCB-15 for our deployment to Iraq 2007-2008. I was in supply and saw and met with him frequently keeping a very respectful and professional manner during our visits. During our family weekend before flying over I was fortunate to introduce my family to him which I was eager to do so because of the respect and admiration I had for Mr. Wolfe by the way he treated, cared, and respected his sailors. During that meeting he referred to me by my first name which was an ultimate shock to me (he had over 500 sailors under him) that I will always remember. It really showed his dedication and appreciation of his SeaBees. I was not assigned to his location in Iraq and only saw him a few times after our flight over. I can't name another person that influenced and affected so many lives in such a short time. I'm very sorry for the tragic loss of Commander Wolfe and he will forever be missed by all.

A. Lauderdale
NMCB-28

” — Alex Lauderdale, June 2, 2009 at 1:39 a.m.

“

Great loss for the U.S. Navy Seabee's. His family is in our Prayers.

With Compassion for others, We Build, We Fight, For peace.

Isaiah 54:16-17

16 "See, it is I who created the blacksmith
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc;

17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,"
declares the LORD.

I´ve been reading from Isaiah for the last few weeks. This realy popped out at me. Think about it. When a warrior is going out to battle he isn´t thinking,"Okay, I need to find out who made my opponites sword so that I know how good his weapon is. I need to find out who this guy trained with so that I know what fighting styles he is use to. I need to..." A warrior is not thinking of all the little things that made his enemy a warrior. Instead he is concentrating on the moment. He doesn´t have time to think big picture just then.

We have such a great God that he does that for us. When we are going through a spiritual battle, He knows exacatly what we need to keep up the good fight. He created everything and He can sure stop it if he needs to. He knew eacatly what we need to serve Him before we were even born. God is amazing.

” — McConnell, June 3, 2009 at 3 p.m.

“

Dear family of Cmdr. Wolfe,
My heart and prayers go out to you as your mourn the loss of your beloved hero, husband, father and friend. I, too, mourn your loss. The day I saw Commander Wolfe's name in our newspaper in the Iraq report, I felt a great need to call my brother Navy Seabee Captain Daniel M. Bleskey, because of Dan's connection to Pt. Hueneme. Dan returned from Iraq in September 2008 after a 6-month tour just prior to the passing of our mother on October 20, 2008. We are so grateful he was able to be here for our mother who worried everyday about Dan being in Iraq. Dan was working the job your beloved had been doing in Iraq, working on water and sewage treatment and oil refineries. My brother Dan knew Cmdr. Wolfe for 20 years. You may have met Dan as he spoke at Cmdr. Wolfe's funeral services in Los Osos. My brother speaks so very highly of Cmdr. Wolfe. I can't hold back the tears whenever I read or think of Cmdr. Wolfe's passing. I just think of how my brother had spent those 6 months in harm's way, serving our country and the people of Iraq whole-heartedly and how my brother came home and your loved one did not get to come home. I am proud of what Cmdr. Wolfe did to serve God, family,country and the world. I mourn your loss. I pray that you all are comforted by fond memories and the pride of loving a man who was a good man and touched the hearts of those who never even met him.I grew up in a Marine family and both my father and my husband are Vietnam veterans.I have another brother who served in the Air Force and is still working for the Air Force as a civil employee. I know the fear you had when you had to see your loved one shipped off to trouble. I am grateful for their safe return. I am sorry Cmdr. Wolfe did not get to come home and retire. However, we know he stands at God's side, forever in peace and happiness. I am sure he continues his service from the heavens above and stands guard awaiting your arrival to see him in glory one day.Thank you for your sacrifice. May God bless you all.
Sincerely, Mrs.Deborah A. Benson, Bakersfield, California

” — Deborah A. Benson, June 12, 2009 at 10:51 a.m.

“

Thank you, Thank you for my loving my brother, I am just starting to be able to read the articles about my brother. I always call him George. God gave me a very special gift, he chose this man to be my brother. His true happiness in life began when he joined the Navy at 17, and then the real joy came at 19 when he married Cindy, and then his children. It is still hard to read what everyone has to say about him, but what I can tell all of you, he would tell you how proud he is to have known all of you and how much he enjoyed his life, his family, his faith in God and that he loved his country.
So, as his sister, thank you for embracing me, his children and wife.
God Bless all of you.
I love you George, forever and a day.
Your sister,
Loretta

” — Loretta K. Nuckols, June 29, 2009 at 2:41 p.m.

“

My daughter wrote this poem for Commander Wolfe. I do not have the talent to express the contributions he made, the impact he had on so many or the loss we all feel.
Commander Duane G. Wolfe

You set off to serve your country,
you didn't know the cost,
but now that you have left us,
we all know what we have lost.

We've lost a brave man,
who in protecting us did pass,
we've lost a good man,
but his memory will last.

He'll live on in our hearts,
he'll live on in our minds,
he's impacted my fathers life,
and thus influenced mine.

We've lost a great man,
a commander, husband, father,
we've lost a great soldier,
many lives have been altered.

He's an inspiration,
and a hero to me,
he's a shining example,
what we all should aspire to be.

Sarah Lynn Eilts

” — Ted Eilts, August 5, 2009 at 12:29 a.m.

“

It's been 18 months since Duane's passing and his memory has yet to fade. This is a testament to the impact Duane Wolfe made upon my life and I'm sure there are countless others who would say the same.

My job in Afghanistan requires me to be around US military personnel each day. Periodically I see glimpses of Duane in their faces. I've seen his deliberate gate walking away from me or noticed men pressing forward with their heads down in thought; the way Duane used to walk when he was on his way to an important event. What's surprising is that I wasn't even thinking of the guy. It feels like I'm being tapped on the shoulder and being told, "Be careful... pay attention." Having served together in the Navy he said those words to me quite often, and whenever I heard them, I could feel their sincerity. There was a goodness about Duane that was unique, indeed. Profound, in fact.

One of God's most profound acts of kindness is that he allows our hearts to heal -- even after suffering devastating losses. I experienced this after the loss of my son and I'm going through it again with my brother-in- arms, mentor, and friend; Duane.

I'm thankful for the blessings we still recieve from our Lord and his servant.

” — Kevin Cullen, January 20, 2011 at 9:07 p.m.

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Duane G. Wolfe, 54

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36 memories of Duane G. Wolfe

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