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<p><em>Leigh William Wacenske</em> was born in Rochester, NY on July 31, 1954 to William and Chloe Wacenske. Leigh graduated from Fairpoint High School in 1972 and attended Nazareth College in Pittsford, NY for one semester before enlisting in the Army. He attended Basic Training at Fort Dix, NJ in January 1973 and then Advanced Individual Training for Military Intelligence at Fort Devens, MA. </p>
<p>Nominated by Congressman Frank Horton, Leigh won an appointment to West Point and was assigned to the USMA Preparatory School at Fort Belvoir, VA in August 1973. Leigh entered West Point on July 8, 1974, assigned to the Second New Cadet Company. Upon returning from Camp Frederick, Leigh was assigned to Company E-1. Leigh was known as the “old man” since he had two years on most of his classmates. He was reserved, but he had great and sometimes snarky jokes and a huge heart and seemed many times to have the last word. He was the only one in the company who could drink a pot of coffee before he went to bed and still sleep like a baby. The only commodity that outdid coffee for him was cigarettes. He enjoyed playing cards, mainly because he usually won. When the class was scrambled in 1976, he ended up in E-4 for his final two years, along with three E-1 classmates: Randy Henson, Chuck Allen and Doug Chapman. Leigh was extremely bright, especially in physics. Doug recalled that Leigh got a paper published about black holes in a scientific journal—a tremendous accomplishment for a college senior. Not surprisingly, Leigh chose the branch with which he had enlisted in the service, Military Intelligence (MI). Leigh married his high school sweetheart, Debbie LaRouch Wacenske Ramsure, after graduation. Sadly, she was one of the casualties at the Pentagon on 9/11, not long after Leigh helped her secure a job there. </p>
<p>After attending the MI Officer Basic Course at Fort Huachuca, AZ, Leigh’s first troop assignment was with the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord, CA. His next duty assignment was with the 125th MI Battalion at Schofield Barracks, HI from 1982 to 1985 as officer-in-charge of the All-Source Tactical Support Element of the Army Security Agency Field Station. He established a reputation there as a thoughtful, smart, and effective leader. He worked his soldiers hard and led by example, never asking his soldiers to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. </p>
<p>Leigh’s next assignment was to the 103rd MI Battalion in Germany from 1992 to 1995 under the 34th Air Defense Command, 3d Infantry Division. He served as the battalion operations officer and later as its executive officer. Leigh was known for mentoring young officers and always provided thoughtful, on-point and insightful guidance. He was considered one of the smartest officers in the battalion. Leigh consistently amazed his team by committing to memory the details of division operations orders. He also supported his subordinates, especially when they had good ideas. When a junior officer suggested re-establishing a partnership with the United Kingdom’s 245th Signal Squadron after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Leigh guided the suggestion to fruition. This partnership focused on interoperability and culminated with multi-national (103rd MI Battalion and 245th Signal Squadron) Signals Intelligence and electronic warfare support to both a brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division and the opposing force at the Combined Multi-National Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany. Without Leigh’s guidance, this relationship would never have happened. The concept was later recognized by the “Association of Old Crows,” an international nonprofit professional organization specializing in electronic warfare, tactical information operations, and associated disciplines, headquartered in Alexandria, VA. Its mission is to “advocate the need for a strong defense capability emphasizing electronic warfare and information operations to government, industry, academia, and the public.” Leigh was a resident graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS and then served at the National Security Agency Headquarters at Fort Meade, MD. </p>
<p>Leigh was generous to anyone in need from his extended family or to a soldier in distress. He would arrange quarterly poker games and always provided the food. Other players recall Leigh as “a hard guy to read at the poker table.” Leigh met Tina in Germany and they married on December 31, 1996 in Maryland, the same day he retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel. </p>
<p>Leigh then became a contractor for Lockheed Martin (among others) and proved he could guide and manage important, complex, and highly classified large-budget projects for the nation’s intelligence community. Leigh successfully led large numbers of highly skilled people in pursuit of our nation’s enemies, employing the special leadership and engineering skills he had learned at West Point and perfected over the course of his career. </p>
<p>After Leigh retired in 2016, Leigh and Tina moved to Bradenton, FL, where he lost his battle with throat cancer on September 7, 2019. Leigh is survived by four daughters: Amanda Rushton, Andrea Frederick, Alicia Mitchem, and Ashley Duckett; five grandchildren: Lydia, Dominick, Xiomara, Valhalla, and Valkyrie; his sister and brother-in-law, Lynne and Dale Stumbo; his nieces and nephews: Nicole and Dale Dockstater, Terra and Cole Edgett, and William and Gillian Stumbo; and many great-nieces and nephews. His Memorial of Life was held on November 2, 2019. </p>
<p>Leigh served his country with distinction and honor. He was a fine officer and a true and loyal friend. Those Leigh left behind miss his quick wit and special charm.</p>
<p><em>— Mike Tobin, Tina Wacenske and classmates</em></p>
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