Pfc. Colin Wolfe, 18, of Manassas, died Wednesday while conducting combat operations in Iraq.
Wolfe, a graduate of Osbourn High School, was killed when the vehicle he was riding in during patrol hit a mine in the Al Anbar province, said Mark Wolfe, his father.
“He wanted to be a Marine for years and years and years. So as soon as he graduated, he was off to basic training,” Wolfe said.
The young Wolfe joined in July 2005 and went through basic training. In January he joined his unit, the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejuene, N.C., 1st Lt. Barry Edwards said.
Colin served as an assault man, providing anti-bunker and anti-armor fire support for a squad, platoon or company, Edwards said.
He was deployed to Iraq in July and spent less than two months there.
“Obviously, it is a shock and very hard to take, but I think everyone is doing as good as you could expect,” his father said.
He described his son as being the “typical kid,” liking girls and fixing his old Ford pickup, with an aptitude for working with his hands.
The Marine will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, said Wolfe, who added that after a family visit to Omaha Beach to celebrate Colin’s high school graduation, he knew “that is exactly what he wanted.”
He was a proud member of Congregation Ner Shalom, said his rabbi, Jennifer Weiner.
“He wore his uniform to services, especially for the Jewish High Holy Days,” said Weiner, who described him as a very strong and kind soul who was involved in the arts.
“Especially after 9/11, he really wanted to be a member of the armed force services. He wanted to give others what he had in life,” she said. “He was too young to die.”
Colin was awarded with the Iraqi Campaign medal, the Global War on Terrorism service medal and a National Defense service medal, Edwards said.
The family is establishing a memorial fund in Colin’s name at the Performing Arts Center at George Mason University’s Prince William Campus.
