Derek A Dobogai
Date of Death: 08/22/2007
Age: 26
Incident Location: Multaka, Iraq
Hometown: Fond du Lac
Branch of Service: Army
Unit: 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division
Unit Base: Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Army Capt. Derek A. Dobogai, 26, of Fond du Lac, Wis.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; died August 22, 2007 in Multaka, Iraq, of injuries sustained when his helicopter crashed. All 14 U.S. soldiers aboard the helicopter were killed.
Dobogai served combat tours in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq. Derek was a 1999 graduate of Winnebago Lutheran Academy (WLA) in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. A top athlete and honor student at school, he was on the track team and captain of the cross-country team. He still enjoyed running, competing in running events and triathlons as an adult. Derek was a law enforcement and justice administration major at Western Illinois University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2003.
He was ranked the number 14 Army ROTC Cadet in the nation out of 4,000 cadets. He received an active duty commission in 2003 as a second lieutenant in the United States Army as part of the Reserve Officers Training Corps. He then attended Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon graduating he served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. That year he was named Lietutenant of the Year for the 25th Infantry Division.
"Derek Dobogai epitomized the very best of Western students and the very best of the Army's officer corps," said retired Lt. Col. Michael Cumbie, who was chair of the military science department during Dobogai's tenure. "He valued his education, excelled in his extracurricular activities and motivated those around him to achieve more in their lives.
Dobogai served combat tours in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq. Derek was a 1999 graduate of Winnebago Lutheran Academy (WLA) in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. A top athlete and honor student at school, he was on the track team and captain of the cross-country team. He still enjoyed running, competing in running events and triathlons as an adult. Derek was a law enforcement and justice administration major at Western Illinois University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2003.
He was ranked the number 14 Army ROTC Cadet in the nation out of 4,000 cadets. He received an active duty commission in 2003 as a second lieutenant in the United States Army as part of the Reserve Officers Training Corps. He then attended Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon graduating he served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. That year he was named Lietutenant of the Year for the 25th Infantry Division.
"Derek Dobogai epitomized the very best of Western students and the very best of the Army's officer corps," said retired Lt. Col. Michael Cumbie, who was chair of the military science department during Dobogai's tenure. "He valued his education, excelled in his extracurricular activities and motivated those around him to achieve more in their lives.