Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 James B. Wilke, 38, of Ione, Calif.
CWO3 Wilke was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Fort Bliss, Texas; died Oct. 10, 2011 in Doha, Qatar, in a noncombat incident.
CWO Wilke joined the Army in 1992. He served as a Patriot Weapons System Technician. He deployed to Qatar in January 2011. He was planning on retiring next year with 20 years of service.
CWO Wilke was selfless and committed to the troops. He signed up to do whatever he could to keep the morale of their team high during a deployment.
CWO Wilke met his wife, Monia, when he was stationed in Italy 15 years ago. She last saw him when he took leave in July for their 15th wedding anniversary.
"We don't know for sure what happened," said his wife, Monia.
She described her husband as a big NASCAR racing fan, and a fan of driver Jeff Gordon. "He loved his car; he had a red Corvette, which he adored."
"He was an animal lover," Monia said. "He was especially attached to our dog. Our dog was like our baby."
"He touched so many people and everybody loved him," Monia said. "He was professional in his job and was extremely smart. But he had a fun, playful side. He made me very happy."
"Everyone who knew him, adored him," Monia said. "He has been a really good soldier. He adored me. Everyone told me he loved me very much. There are no words to explain the love we had. It was way too good to be true."
"He was the love of my life and I was the love of his life, soul mates. We always thought we would be together. Now, nothing makes sense."
CWO Wilke's awards and decorations include:
Meritorious Service Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terorism Service medal
Korean Defense Service Medal
Parachutist Badge
He is survived by his mother Patricia; wife of 15 years, Monia; and two brothers, Larry and Gary.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 James B. Wilke was killed in action on 10/10/11.
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