U.S. Marine killed in parachute jump found purpose in service

As a small-town high school sports star, Wolf Weninger left his native Ohio to play college football but by age 23 found himself searching for a purpose that would guide him through life.

Weninger found that purpose when he enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Five years in, Weninger had emerged from uncertainty to join special operations and channel his confidence as a leader into a mission that motivated him.

Sgt. Wolfgang Kyle “Wolf” Weninger, 28, was set to graduate Friday from the U.S. Army Airborne School at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where he went to learn how to become a paratrooper. On Tuesday, he was killed during a training jump.

Hours after his death under circumstances the military has not yet detailed, two Marines in uniform pulled up to the home of his father, Ernst Weninger, in Concord, Ohio.

“When I saw two uniformed Marines get out of the car, I knew instinctively that something had happened,” Ernst Weninger said.

Marine Forces Special Operations Command said the incident is under investigation. Col. Travis Homiak, the commanding officer of Marine Raider Training Center, called Weninger “an incredibly smart, dedicated, and dependable Marine.”

Ernst Weninger still has pictures of his son’s youth sports exploits in his office, accomplishments they celebrated in the moment. But to the father, the important thing is that the son had found himself.

“The thing that you want as a parent is that your kids grow up to be a decent human being and to find their niche. To have the fullness of life and explore all these things that God gave you the talents to do,” Ernst Weninger said in an interview. “And he did, he found his niche that he’d always been looking for.”

Wolf Weninger’s on-field exploits were regularly featured in The News-Herald, the local newspaper that covers the village of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. One article from his senior year recounts Weninger crediting his Kenston High School teammates for victory over rival Chardon High School. He also was a hockey standout who as a youth traveled to Russia to play for his local club team.

“I believe you find leaders, you don’t build them,” said Jim Revak, Weninger’s former hockey coach. “He was a natural leader and was our most valuable player.”