"Your heart just drops": Mother of Sgt. Cade Wolfe mourns loss of son
MANKATO, Minn. — It was the news Julia Molden feared most. Her son, Sergeant Cade Wolfe, would not be coming home.
"A chaplain and sergeant in full dress uniform show up, and your heart just drops because you know something is wrong," Molden said. "As a parent of military children I know the dangers, but I also know what they need to do and the importance of this."
The Department of Defense released the identities of the five fallen soldiers, including 24-year-old Sgt. Cade Wolfe of Mankato. The DOD says the team's helicopter "experienced an in-flight emergency" over the Mediterranean Sea, just off the coast of Cyprus.
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Wolfe's family said he was a son, brother and husband, who had just celebrated his 24th birthday on Nov. 8. He followed in both his parents' footsteps by serving our country.
"He loved it, he loved it. It was always what he wanted to do as a child, straight through junior high and high school, he always knew he wanted to join the Army," she said.
It was his big personality, passion and drive that left a lasting impression on Wolfe's former teachers in Mankato.
"We talk a lot about teachers inspiring us, we are constantly inspired by students every single day and Cade is one of those students. He inspired so many. Students and teachers alike. And I think that's part of his legacy," Cade's former teacher Mary Nelson said.
READ MORE: Mankato teachers remember and mourn Sgt. Cade Wolfe, killed in helicopter crash
Governor Tim Walz ordered flags be flown at half-staff to honor Sgt. Wolfe for his dedicated service to, and sacrifice for, his country.
"The hardest part is the unknown. I hope they find Cade so we can have a proper burial for him and closure," Molden said.
Wolfe enlisted in 2018, right out of high school. He was awarded two Army Commendation Medals and an Army Achievement Medal.
