Hundreds of people gathered for memorial services on June 2 at Camp San Luis Obispo to honor Los Osos resident and Navy Commander Duane Wolfe. Wolfe, a husband and father of three, was killed by a roadside bomb near Fallujah in Iraq on May 25.
According to a press release from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Wolfe was a Naval Reservist who was civilian deputy commander for the 30th Mission Support Group.
“Duane was a true warrior, leader, and friend,” said Col. Richard Wright, 30th Mission Support Group commander and Wolfe’s friend.
Carrie Wolfe-Smith, Wolfe’s eldest daughter, spoke of memories she had of her dad: specifically, of a bowl and a spoon that could be found in the kitchen sink after she woke up to go to school. The bowl was a sign that he had been there.
”Although the bowl will never be there again,” she said, “there are still signs of him around. The life of my brother and sister and me are his legacy.”
Commander Wolfe had the opportunity to retire from the Navy Reserves, but instead he started getting in shape so he could lead the young men and women he would be deployed with in Iraq, Wolfe-Smith said.
Wolfe was a natural-born leader, according to his peers.
“Duane believed each person was worth defending,” said Navy Capt. Douglas Alexander, detachment officer in charge at Port Hueneme Naval Base. “That’s why he kept doing it.”
—Nicholas Walter
This article appears in Jun 11-18, 2009.