LAURINBURG, N.C. – A retired U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal sergeant major, elite Special Forces operator and U.S. Army civilian led the charge to create the EOD companies that combat Weapons of Mass Destruction and support special operations missions.
Retired Sgt. Maj. Dennis E. Wolfe championed the establishment of the 21st Ordnance Company (EOD WMD) and 28th Ordnance Company (EOD Airborne) while serving as the civilian deputy special plans officer at the U.S. Special Operations Command.
The 21st EOD Company (WMD) was activated at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, in 1998 to respond to improvised nuclear devices and radiological dispersal devices. The 28th EOD Company (Airborne) was established in 2011 to support special mission units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment. Both units have rigorous selection processes.
The 21st EOD Company (WMD) is part of the 71st EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier all hazards command. The 28th EOD Company (Airborne) is assigned to the 192nd EOD Battalion, 52nd EOD Group and 20th CBRNE Command.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
Often called the “father of EOD in Special Mission Units,” Wolfe knows from firsthand experience the importance of having trained, equipped and ready EOD technicians to support Special Operations missions.
Wolfe is one of the founding members of the U.S. Army's elite Special Mission Unit and one of the first two EOD techs to pass Operator Training Course I. The other EOD tech was retired Sgt. Maj. Mike R. Vining.
“Establishing a program for developing an EOD capability in support of special mission counter proliferation efforts may probably be what I'm best known for. However, there were other missions throughout my assignment at the unit and the Joint Special Operations Command that were equally challenging,” he said.
Wolfe’s military career began in Port Trevorton, a small Pennsylvania town near the Susquehanna River.
“There was little work opportunity for me following high school graduation and no money to continue any further education,” said Wolfe. “I also had a strong desire to travel and experience new opportunities.”
After he graduated from boot camp, Wolfe was scheduled to go to Airborne School until a knee injury delayed it.
He was temporarily assigned as a clerk in an EOD unit and decided to become an EOD tech while serving there.
“I was fascinated with the unit and the work involved so I decided to attend EOD School in Indianhead, Maryland,” said Wolfe. “Shortly thereafter, I was sent to Germany and assigned to a special unit with both EOD and Technical Escort personnel. During my tour of duty, I traveled throughout Europe.”
His career then took him from West Germany to Hawaii where he provided support to VIP visits across the Pacific, including visits to Australia and New Zealand. While in the Aloha State, Wolfe got into surfing and scuba diving and took night courses at the University of Hawaii.
“I was eventually reassigned to the 55th EOD unit in upstate New York and then to the 21st EOD in Giessen, Germany,” said Wolfe. “I went back to the U.S., got married and returned to Germany with my new bride. During those assignments, I performed VIP support in Ireland, Israel, Morocco, Ethiopia and the Soviet Union.”
After moving back to the U.S., Wolfe served as an instructor at the Explosive Ordnance Disposal school at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
“My personal goal while assigned to the school was to teach every block of instruction in the course which I came close to achieving when I received a call from Fort Bragg to try out for a new unit being formed there (the premier Special Mission Unit),” said Wolfe. “The Formal Assessment and Selection for assignment was the most physical and mentally challenging event in my career.”
Wolfe spent the next 16 years in the U.S. Army’s premier counterterrorism unit, serving as a Special Forces operator and EOD sergeant major.
He later served as the director of EOD capabilities for the unit.
As the senior EOD technician in the unit, Wolfe served as a team leader during Operation Rice Bowl and Eagle Claw, the 1980 Iran hostage rescue attempt.
A year later, Wolfe traveled to Italy to support an Italian counterterrorism unit that was preparing to rescue U.S. Army Brig. Gen. James L. Dozier after the general had been abducted by the Red Brigades and held in captivity for 42 days. Without firing a shot, the Italian unit rescued Dozier and captured the entire Red Brigades cell.
Wolfe was also a team leader during Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of the Caribbean Island of Grenada, following a pro-Cuban coup there.
In the mid-1990s, Wolfe helped to ensure compliance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) as an inspector on the on-site inspection agency team. The sergeant major also supported the investigation into the bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia.
His career then took him to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), an organization that was established to create greater joint coordination between U.S. military special operations units following Operation Eagle Claw.
As a civilian at the U.S. Special Operations Command, Wolfe was instrumental in the creation of the 21st Ordnance Company (EOD WMD) “Blackjack,” the first U.S. Department of Defense Weapons of Mass Destruction-capable EOD unit.
The company named its Kirtland Air Force Base rapid deployment building “Wolfe’s Gate” in honor of his role in its establishment.
Wolfe also took point on the creation of the airborne EOD unit to support special operations missions. Often operating on hostile terrain, U.S. Army Rangers and Special Operations units needed a dedicated airborne EOD special mission unit to take on the explosive devices that imperil lives and impede missions.
The Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based 28th EOD Company (Airborne) was activated in 2011 and EOD techs from the company have been deployed in support of combat operations for the entirety of its history.
EOD technicians from the 28th EOD Company (Airborne) have successfully conducted more than 5,200 operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan and have earned 32 valorous awards, including two Distinguished Service Crosses and 21 Purple Hearts.
Wolfe said that today’s Army EOD technicians are upholding and building on the legacy of the EOD technicians who served before them.
He said that flexibility, tenacity and determination are the key to continued success as Army EOD technicians shift focus from supporting counterinsurgency operations to preparing for large-scale combat operations.
“The Army EOD today, embedded in the Special Mission units, are amazing in their capabilities to support the most challenging missions, specifically in those time-sensitive, non-permissive environments,” said Wolfe. “This is a dream I honestly didn't think I'd witness in my lifetime.”
For his service, Wolfe was awarded the Col. Arthur “Bull” Simons Award, the highest award given by the U.S. Special Operations Command in 2018.
He was also awarded the U.S. Army Chemical Corps Order of the Dragon in 2009 and Ancient Order of the Dragon in 2021. Wolfe was inducted into the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame in 2019. In addition, Wolfe was named the Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Executive of the Year Award in 1997 and he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, Selinsgrove High School, in Pennsylvania in 2018.
Wolfe earned the Legion of Merit Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Master Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge and Basic Parachutist Badge. For his civilian service, he earned the Superior Civilian Service Award in 1997 and 2007. Wolfe earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Philosophy from Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina.
Maj. Gen. James E. Bonner, the commanding general of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and senior mission commander for Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, served with Wolfe and retired Sgt. Maj. Mike Vining at the Joint Special Operations Command.
Bonner said Wolfe had made a lasting impact on the EOD community.
“Dennis had the vision to analyze what was in the realm of possibilities and create a national strategic capability,” said Bonner, an Anna, Illinois, native, and U.S. Army Chemical Corps officer who also previously served as the commanding general of the 20th CBRNE Command.
Retired U.S. Army Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker commanded the Joint Special Operations Command when Bonner, Wolfe and Vining were in the JSOC J-3 Plans Office.
A former commander of the premier Special Mission Unit, Schoomaker also commanded U.S. Army Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command before retiring in November 2000. Schoomaker was later recalled to active duty and served as the 35th U.S. Army Chief of Staff from 2003 to 2007.
"Forty-five years ago, Sgt. Maj. Dennis Wolfe volunteered for duty with the nation's premier Special Mission Unit during its formative period,” said Schoomaker. “Over his multi-decade career, he did it all ... special operations leader and operator, thinker, innovator and mentor ... both in and out of uniform.
“He was, and still is, a national asset,” said Schoomaker. “His legacy is the unique national interagency community that he was instrumental in building, which includes his role in the creation of the Army’s two elite special mission EOD companies, the 21st Ordnance Company (EOD WMD) and the 28th Ordnance Company (Airborne)."
Wolfe said the key to success during his 48-year career of uniformed and civil service was being ready to accept the challenges that came his way.
“I was always curious and adventurous and volunteered for everything even when I had little idea what lay ahead. Every assignment brought me new experiences. I volunteered for everything and felt obligated as a Soldier to do so and never regretted it,” said Wolfe.
“My advice is to not understate your capabilities. You can do much more than you realize, step up to the plate, volunteer,” said Wolfe. “I believe the military offers the best environment to do this and to serve your country as well. No greater service.”
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