“He's one you don't forget.”
– Mary Roggeman, vice chancellor of Student Affairs, relaying the words of Michael Wendling’s former adviser

Students traveling past a small gathering of family and friends in Spaights Plaza Thursday afternoon paused at the scene, unaware of the memorial for a fellow student who was recently killed in Iraq.

The student was Spc. Michael Wendling, 20, of Mayville, a member of the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment of the Wisconsin National Guard. Wendling was killed on Monday, Sept. 26, when a bomb exploded along the roadside he and Sgt. Andrew Wallace, 25, were driving on near Basra, Iraq. Wallace was also killed.

“It is with a heavy heart that we gather here today,” said Student Association President Russ Rueden. He said that Wendling’s death has not only devastated his family, but also the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Rueden praised Wendling's courage in what he called the “ultimate sacrifice for freedom.”

Chancellor Carlos Santiago, who was unable to attend the memorial because he was out of town, gave his remarks to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Mary Roggeman to read on his behalf.

“Although Michael spent only one year here, his impression will last much longer,” Roggeman said.

Roggeman went on to reveal how Michael was perceived by his academic adviser and professors.

Wendling’s adviser Ines Petterson remembers Wendling as a well-mannered, polite student. She said he made the dean's list both semesters he was here and was looking forward to returning.

Petterson said she was sure she would receive a phone call indicating Wendling's return. But the phone call never came.

“He's one you don't forget,” said Roggeman, relaying the words of Petterson. Robert Wood, Wendling's physics professor, recalled Wendling as an “outstanding student, one of the best,” Roggeman said.

“He was respectful, open-minded, focused and committed to his work,” said Roggeman, based on her conversations with Wendling’s English professor.

Roggeman said that the university was grateful for the short time it had with Wendling.

“And here, all the time we thought we were the educators,” Roggeman said. Rueden then read an 1861 letter written by Abraham Lincoln to Lydia Bixby, a mother who lost five sons in the Civil War. The letter, though written in the 19th century, resonated because war involves courage and loss.

The ceremony concluded with a student reading the poem, “The Final Inspection,” by an unknown author.

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