Remember...
Alfred Melvin Wolfe
1942-1968
"We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors."
President Lyndon B. Johnson
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Remember...Alfred Melvin Wolfe
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Alfred Melvin Wolfe was born in Masontown, Preston County, West Virginia, on September 11, 1942. He was the sixth out of ten children born to Ernest Grant Wolfe (1905-1977) and Goldie Bell Goodwin Wolfe (1913-2003). The oldest child was Ernest Guy Wolfe, followed by William Freddie Wolfe, Goldie Blanche Wolfe Lewis, Clarence Henry Wolfe, Frank Lee Wolfe, Alfred, Carolyn Sue Wolfe Hovatter Chidester, Howard Dennis Wolfe, Glen A. Wolfe, and Raymond E. Wolfe, the youngest. Alfred's living relatives (as of 2024) are his daughter Kim and brother Glen A. Wolfe.
Alfred went to Arthurdale High School in 1965, when he was in the eighth grade. His favorite subject was vocational agriculture. He dropped out of school in the 11th grade and began working with his father in the mines in 1959. In 1961, Alfred and his cousin Roger Wolfe moved to New York with the hope of finding a better job. Alfred was known as a very hard worker. He went on to get a job at the Ruby Chicken Farm and later to the West Virginia University Experimental Farm.
Alfred married Dorothy Hall on July 11, 1963, at the Masontown Methodist Church. Shortly after, they moved to the small community of Cascade. Alfred and Dorothy had a daughter, Kimberly Lane, born on December 15, 1964. Soon after their daughter was born, the famiily moved closer to his job and lived on the farm. Alfred and Dorothy divorced on April 24, 1967.
Alfred was drafted from Monongalia County and entered the U.S. Army on August 22, 1967. He went to basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After completing basic training, Alfred went to Advanced Indivual Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, for two months. When he completed AIT, he reported to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to a service school for General Vehicle Repairman. Alfred graduated in the upper half of his class. His daughter, Kim, continues to hold some memories of her father.
Alfred served in the Vietnam War and began his tour on April 5, 1968. He was assigned to Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry, 9th Infantry Division. Ten days later, Dorothy and Kim received a letter from Alfred stating, "I am stationed at Bear Cat. It is pretty safe, but tomorrow I am going up north 500-600 miles."
The troopers of the 5th Cavalry had a bad time during the early weeks of the Tet offensive. They had been in the Saigon area until mid-February 1968. They were transferred to Da Nang in the North and were attached to the Marines until March of 1968. They were then transferrred to the Dong Ha area, where their first mission was to stage an attack on North Vietnam to help relieve the siege of Khe Sanh. Thirteen men were killed in action and 47 were wounded. Only in Vietnam for 18 days, Alfred was one of the dead. SP4 Wolfe was killed in action April 30, 1968. Among SP4 Wolfe's personal effects were 27 photos, a New Testament, five pairs of eyeglasses, one wedding band, a flak jacket, and a Sharpshooter Rifle Badge. SP5 Thomas J. Downs accompanied Alfred's body back to West Virginia.
Alfred is buried at Nicholson Cemetery, Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia. His name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memoral in Washington, DC, at Line 26, Panel 53E. He is also honored at the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston.
SP4 Wolfe was awarded the Purple Heart. Based on his service record, he was also eligible to receive the Combat Infantryman Badge, Marksmanwhip Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and the Army Good Conduct Medal.
Much of the information in this biography can be found in Dorothy Bonafield Snyder's 2001 book (Not To Be Forgotten: Prestonians Who Died in Vietnam [Dover, DE: 2001], 141-6), which presents Alfred's life in greater detail.
Article prepared by Caroline Kuhn
January 2024
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.