MPs remember, honor one of their own

A Soldier with the 552nd MP Co., 728th MP Bn., 8th MP Bde., 8th TSC, places the dog tags of Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt on the Soldiers Cross during the rededication ceremony of the brigade’s Memorial Grove, July 15. Wilfahrt died Feb. 27, 2011, in the Kandahar province, Afghanistan. ( Spc. Tiffany Dusterhoft | 8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs)

Maj. Shea A. Asis & Sgt. Phillis White
8th Theater Sustainment Command Public Affairs

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — The day was warm and so were the hearts of family members, friends, comrades and fellow “Deuces” Soldiers as they gathered to bid farewell to one of their own, here, July 15.

The 552nd Military Police Company, 728th MP Battalion, 8th MP Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, remembered one of its fallen Soldiers with a memorial rededication ceremony.

Spc. Andrew Wilfahrt, 31, of Rosemount, Minn., died Feb. 27, 2011, in the Kandahar province, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

Wilfahrt’s name was engraved in the granite memorial that is dedicated to all of the Soldiers assigned to the 8th MP Bde. Their names will last forever as part of the brigade.

During the ceremony, Capt. Christopher Nogle, commander, 552nd MP Co., gave heartfelt remarks. He paused several times, as his voice shook with emotion, talking about the fallen Soldier.

“While out on patrol, he had a pocket full of candy and pens to hand out to people. … He was a people person to anybody. In my eyes, he lived his life the way many people try to and many people fail to. He was a role model for many,” Nogle said.

Family and friends also remembered Wilfahrt as a kind, outgoing and musically-gifted individual.

Wilfahrt’s parents, Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt, were in attendance for the memorial ceremony.

Wilfahrt earned the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart Medal posthumously, as well as the Combat Action Badge, an Army Achievement Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Global War on Terror Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

(Editor’s Note: Asis is with 8th MP Bde. Public Affairs, and White is with 8th TSC Public Affairs.)

Tags: 552nd MP Co., 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command (TSC), award, memorial, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)

Category: News