Marine Who Died During Airborne Training Is Remembered For His ‘Unconquerable Spirit’

From WWW.STRIPES.COM

A special operations Marine who died this week from injuries suffered during airborne training at Fort Benning, Ga., days shy of completing jump school, was remembered by his fellow Marines as witty, with “an unconquerable spirit.”

Sgt. Wolfgang K. “Wolf” Weninger, 28, a critical skills operator assigned to the Marine Raider Training Center, was fatally wounded during one of the final qualification jumps of the Army’s Basic Airborne Course class 24-20, Marine Forces Special Operations Command said in a statement Thursday.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Sgt. Wolf Weninger — an incredibly smart, dedicated, and dependable Marine,” said Col. Travis Homiak, the Marine training center’s commanding officer. “Although he was just beginning his journey as a Marine Raider, his contributions to our legacy did not go unnoticed.”

Born and raised in Auburn, Ohio, Weninger graduated from Kenston High School, MARSOC said. He joined the Marine Corps in May 2015 and was the honor graduate for his training company at Marine boot camp in Parris Island, S. C.

From November 2015 to December 2018, he was an armory custodian with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, out of Camp Lejeune, N. C. He reported to MARSOC in January 2019.

Enlisted Marine Raiders earn the critical skills operator designation after undergoing a competitive two-phase assessment and selection process and completing a nine-month individual training course. Weninger completed the course in October 2019, earning the Marine Special Operator insignia, MARSOC said in the statement.

“Wolf was exactly what we look for when training students to become Marine Raiders,” said an unnamed member of the course’s training cadre, quoted in the statement. “He was a consistent top performer, a natural leader, he never complained, and was always there to pick up his team during challenging events.”

An avid hockey player, he could often be found on the ice even after a tough week of training, recalled the instructor, who said the Raider community was “proud and honored” to have Weninger join the formation and become a part of their legacy…. (Read more)