Major Paul C. Voelke
Voelke graduated from Monroe-Woodbury High School in 1994 and went on to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Voelke was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in European History in 1998. Two years later, Voelke married his high school sweetheart, Traci Maultasch, in 2000. The two later welcomed sons Andrew (“A.J.”) and Benjamin.
After rising to the rank of captain, Voelke was selected for a Joint Chiefs of Staff Internship in Washington D.C. There he studied policy management at Georgetown University, graduating with a master’s degree in 2007. His military career would include five deployments overseas: one in Kosovo, two in Iraq, and two in Afghanistan.
In February 2012, MAJ Voelke was sent to Mazari-Sharif, Afghanistan, with the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, out of Fort Stewart, Georgia. The nine-month deployment was in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, which is when he sustained fatal injuries from an accident involving a mine-protected vehicle, giving his “last full measure of devotion” to his country. Maj. Paul Clarke Voelke was laid to rest with his fellow soldiers at the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery (Section XXXIV Row AA Site 2) on July 6, 2012.
In 2010, MAJ Voelke’s West Point class of 1998 established “The 98 Fund,” a non-profit organization that honors classmates who lost their lives. MAJ Voelke volunteered for the Fund, operating under the class motto, “Duty Will Not Wait.” The mission of The 98 Fund is to serve, connect, and provide healing support for veterans, survivors, and veteran organizations and recently developed the Alaska Project where the Fund built a retreat near Palmer, Alaska to serve Surviving Military Families of the Fallen and Veterans. Paul’s wife Traci has served on the organization’s Board of Directors.