The Corps has identified Sgt. Wolfgang “Wolf” K. Weninger, 28, from Auburn, Ohio, as the Marine Raider who died in a parachute accident on Tuesday.
The Raider was conducting training at the U.S. Army’s Basic Airborne Course in Fort Benning, Georgia, a press release from Marine Forces Special Operations Command said Wednesday.
An investigation into the incident already has started, MARSOC said.
“Wolf was exactly what we look for when training students to become Marine Raiders,” his Individual Training Course instructors said in a Thursday press release. “He was a consistent top performer, a natural leader, he never complained, and was always there to pick up his team during challenging events.”
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Weninger joined the Corps in 2015, serving as an armory custodian with Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, until December 2018, according to MARSOC.
The Marine joined MARSOC in January 2019, graduating from the grueling Individual Training Course, earning the Marine special operator insignia and the 0372 critical skills operator military occupational specialty in October 2019.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Sgt. Wolf Weninger – an incredibly smart, dedicated, and dependable Marine. Although he was just beginning his journey as a Marine Raider, his contributions to our legacy did not go unnoticed,” Col. Travis Homiak, the commanding officer of Marine Raider Training Center, said in the Thursday release.
“He lived the ethos that defines our Marine Raider culture, possessing unsurmountable determination, a deep sense of integrity, and an unconquerable spirit,” Homiak said.
