Paul Clarke Voelke

On June 22nd, 2012 United States Army Major Paul Clarke Voelke sustained fatal injuries from an accident involving a mine protected vehicle while on tour in Mazari-Sharif, Afghanistan.

Voelke was born in Queens, New York and was a huge sports fan growing up. He was a diehard fan of the New York Knicks, New York Giants, and the former Brooklyn Dodgers. He played baseball, and ran track at Monroe-Woodbury High School where he was a part of the National Honors Society, and also where he met his future wife, Traci.

After graduating high school in 1994 he went on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in European History and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1998. Voelke served fourteen years as an Infantry Officer and was selected for the Joint Chief of Staff’s Internship in 2007 where he earned his graduate degree from Georgetown University with a Master’s of Policy Management. Throughout Voelke’s extensive career he was deployed five times; twice to Iraq, twice to Afghanistan, once to Kosovo, and most recently he served as the Executive Officer for 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Voelke received numerous awards for his outstanding acts of service including the Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. 

U.S. Army Major Paul Clarke Voelke is survived by his wife of 12 years, Traci, their two sons, Andrew and Benjamin, his parents, Lorraine and Richard Griffenkranz, his brother and sister-in-law, Christopher and Shannon Voelke, his step-brother and sister-in-law, Tommy and Amanda Griffenkranz, and his step-sister and brother-in-law, Chrissy and Mike Macleary.

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