Army Sgt. Chad J. Vollmer, 24, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, Big Rapids, Mich.; died Dec. 23 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were: Pfc. Wilson A. Algrim and Pvt. Bobby Mejia II. Sgt. Vollmer was placed in the hands of his Lord while bravely serving his country in Iraq as part of the Army National Guard E. Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, also known as the "Hooligans". He was born in Grand Rapids on January 22, 1982 to proud parents, Sandi and Terry Vollmer, and a loving sister, Heather. Chad loved the military and loved his country. He entered the ROTC program in his freshman year at Central High School and entered the Army National Guard between his junior and senior year in high school. Chad had the opportunity after 9/11 to participate in the United States Homeland Security Initiative at the Kent County International Airport and in Detroit at the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. At the time of meeting his Lord he was serving his second tour of duty in the service of his country outside of the United States. First in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt as a member of the Delta Dragons D. Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, and secondly in Iraq as part of Company E "Hooligans", assigned to the 759th Task Force. Throughout his life Chad touched many lives, young and old, and he will never be forgotten. Surviving are his parents, Sandi and Terry Vollmer; sister, Heather, and her husband, Ben DeHaan; uncles, Joe Vollmer of Ann Arbor, Paul Price of Springfield, Ohio, Don Miller of Grand Rapids, and Kirt Heukels of Belding; aunts, Sue Groom of Belding, Bonnie Millering and Evelyn Miller of Grand Rapids, and many cousins. The funeral service celebrating Chad's life will take place 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 4, 2007, at Calvary Church, 777 East Beltline, Grand Rapids with Army Chaplain, Major Timothy Mattison, officiating. Interment in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. The family will greet family and friends at the Metcalf and Jonkhoff Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 2, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Wednesday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Memorial contributions in Chad's memory may be made to the Michigan Fallen Soldiers Fund. Published in Grand Rapids Press from December 31, 2006 to January 2, 2007
Army Sgt. Chad J. Vollmer, 24, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, Big Rapids, Mich.; died Dec. 23 in Salman Pak, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were: Pfc. Wilson A. Algrim and Pvt. Bobby Mejia II. Sgt. Vollmer was placed in the hands of his Lord while bravely serving his country in Iraq as part of the Army National Guard E. Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, also known as the "Hooligans". He was born in Grand Rapids on January 22, 1982 to proud parents, Sandi and Terry Vollmer, and a loving sister, Heather. Chad loved the military and loved his country. He entered the ROTC program in his freshman year at Central High School and entered the Army National Guard between his junior and senior year in high school. Chad had the opportunity after 9/11 to participate in the United States Homeland Security Initiative at the Kent County International Airport and in Detroit at the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. At the time of meeting his Lord he was serving his second tour of duty in the service of his country outside of the United States. First in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt as a member of the Delta Dragons D. Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, and secondly in Iraq as part of Company E "Hooligans", assigned to the 759th Task Force. Throughout his life Chad touched many lives, young and old, and he will never be forgotten. Surviving are his parents, Sandi and Terry Vollmer; sister, Heather, and her husband, Ben DeHaan; uncles, Joe Vollmer of Ann Arbor, Paul Price of Springfield, Ohio, Don Miller of Grand Rapids, and Kirt Heukels of Belding; aunts, Sue Groom of Belding, Bonnie Millering and Evelyn Miller of Grand Rapids, and many cousins. The funeral service celebrating Chad's life will take place 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 4, 2007, at Calvary Church, 777 East Beltline, Grand Rapids with Army Chaplain, Major Timothy Mattison, officiating. Interment in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. The family will greet family and friends at the Metcalf and Jonkhoff Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 2, 2007 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Wednesday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Memorial contributions in Chad's memory may be made to the Michigan Fallen Soldiers Fund. Published in Grand Rapids Press from December 31, 2006 to January 2, 2007
