Andrew C Wilfahrt - OurWarHeroes.org - Tribute sites by Q Madp

Andrew C Wilfahrt

Rosemount, Minnesota

February 27, 2011

Age

Military

Rank

Unit/Location

Army

Cpl

504th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command

Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

Killed in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

From Daily KOS dailykos.com 03/03/11:

THU MAR 03, 2011 AT 05:17 PM PST
IGTNT: Four Soldiers - No Greater Love
byJaxDem for IGTNT
3rd US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)

The 3rd US Infantry Regiment is the oldest active unit of infantry in the Army, having been first organized as the First American Regiment in 1784. The 3rd Infantry Regiment's mission is to conduct memorial affairs to honor fallen comrades and ceremonies and special events to represent the U.S. Army, communicating its story to our nations' citizens and the world.

Memorial affairs missions include Standard Honor and Full Honors Funerals in Arlington National Cemetery and Dignified Transfers at Dover Air Force Base. Old Guard Soldiers also perform all dignified transfers of fallen Soldiers returning to the United States.

The Old Guard's ceremonial task list includes Full Honor Arrivals for visiting dignitaries, Wreath Ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and Full Honor Reviews in support of senior Army leaders and retiring Soldiers. Special events include the Twilight Tattoo, a weekly performance in the adjacent Washington area on Wednesday evenings from May to July, and the Spirit of America, a historical pageant presented at three national venues in September.

The Old Guard is the only unit in the U.S. Armed Forces authorized, by a 1922 decree of the War Department, to march with fixed bayonets in public parade. This was granted in honor of the 1847 bayonet charge by Old Guard troops during the Battle of Cerro Gordo in the war with Mexico. The Old Guard is also the sole remaining regular combat unit to issue the standard M14 rifle to the ranks.

Fallen soldier remembered for musical gifts

The Associated Press

ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — Family and friends are remembering a fallen Minnesota soldier as kind, outgoing and musically-gifted.

The Defense Department said Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt died Feb. 27 when insurgents attacked his unit with a bomb in Kandahar province.

In his hometown of Rosemount, word of his death spread quickly.

Shelia Wandersee lives in the cul-de-sac where Wilfahrt's parents reside. Wandersee says she remembers the melodies that would drift across the street when Wilfahrt was playing the piano.

The Star Tribune reported that the soldier's family was at Dover Air Force Base, Del., when Wilfahrt's remains arrived Feb. 28. Wilfahrt was assigned to a military police battalion based in Hawaii. He enlisted in the Army in January 2009.

Flags lowered in honor of fallen corporal

The Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Mark Dayton has ordered that flags at state and federal buildings be lowered to half-staff March 5 to honor a Minnesota soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt, 31, of Rosemount died Feb. 27 when insurgents attacked his unit with a bomb in Kandahar province.

Dayton issued a proclamation recognizing Wilfahrt’s service and declaring that he died a hero. It also remembered Wilfahrt as a compassionate, cheery person and a gifted musician.

The Rosemount High School graduate enlisted in the Army in January 2009 and became a military police officer.