SSgt Wojciechowski was born on March 10, 1984 to Army parents Mark F. Wojciechowski and Teresa A. Wojciechowski (nee Kroner) (nka Dillinger), at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. He was killed in action in Iraq on April 30, 2009. He was 25.
Tony attended Glen Este High School in Union Township, Clermont County, Ohio for his freshman and sophomore years and then transferred to Live Oaks Vocational School for his junior and senior years where he studied auto mechanics. Tony did very well in school and was offered an apprenticeship, but declined the offer because he was determined to join the Marine Corp.; something he wanted to do for many years.
Tony enlisted in the Marine Corp. in July, 2001. He was 17 and still a senior in high school. He chose Infantry and Security Forces as his dual MOS. After his basic training at Paris Island, South Carolina, he received orders to Naval Station Bremerton in Washington. When he completed that tour, he was ordered to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where he re-enlisted after serving only three years. At that time, he changed his MOS to EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal), otherwise known as the bomb squad. He studied that MOS diligently for seven months at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida and graduated near the top of his class on August 2, 2006. His EOD class started out with 48 students, but only nine graduated.
After Tony's graduation from EOD in Florida, he received orders to Okinawa, Japan, as his home base for the period of September, 2006 until September, 2008. From Okinawa, he was deployed to Iraq and served a six-month tour from February to September 2007. Tony also trained in the northern mountains of California where he attended a cold weather survival school, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. Tony loved everything Marine Corp. and was eager to learn as much as he could about anything that interested him. Tony's last home base was Camp Pendleton, California, where he stayed for a short five months before his second deployment to Iraq came down. He left for his second deployment in Iraq in February 2009 and was killed in action on April 30, 2009.
On March 18, 2005 Tony was awarded the Navy and Marine Achievement Medal and on October 8, 2007, Tony was awarded the Navy and Marine Corp. Commendation Medal. Tony excelled at all he did which is evidenced by the fast track of his promotions. Tony was promoted to Staff Sergeant on August 1, 2008.
Tony's hobbies included the great love of scuba diving where he hoped to receive his Master Diver status, snow skiing, working out and staying fit and golfing and billiards. He was planning a trip to Australia to scuba the Barrier Reef after this tour in Iraq. Tony was brilliant, fun, strong, full of life and a great friend to many, at home and all across the United States.
Tony is survived by his mother, Teresa Dillinger, his stepfather, Tony Dillinger and his sister, Tiffany Dillinger. He is also survived by his grandparents, David and Judy Grose, his aunt, Susan Kroner and nephew, Cameron Forrer, all of Cincinnati, Ohio. Tony also left loving family in New Jersey, his father, Mark F. Wojciechowski, stepmother Dawn Wojciechowski, stepsister Courtney and niece Gabrielle and half brothers Justin and Brandon, his grandmother, Margo Wojciechowski, and grandfather, Frank P. Wojciechowski (deceased), as well as aunts and uncles, Gary and Kathleen Losinski; Diana Rasizer and Scott Rasizer; Angel Watson; and cousins, Tracy, Andrew, Thomas, Rebecca, Joseph and Mark James; great-grandfather, Andrew Haborak. Tony is also survived by his step-family in Cincinnati; grandparents Jim and Kathi Dillinger of Williamsburg, Ohio and Arlene Braunwart of Mayslick, Kentucky and many step aunts, uncles and cousins from this area, as well as many great friends scattered across the United States.
Tony, we love you. We miss you. Forever you will be in our hearts and may you forever rest in peace. Semper Fi.
