Major Wallace C. Hogan Jr., 40, who went by his middle name, Cole, served with the Green Berets, the Special Forces and, ultimately, as a general’s aide at the Pentagon. Major Hogan was laid to rest with full military honors in Section 64 of Arlington National Cemetery, within the shadows of the Pentagon where he fell victim to the September 11th terrorist attack.
Cole served for 21 years in the Army. He received his commission in 1981 from Officer Candidate School and joined the Georgia Army National Guard as a Rifle and Mortar Platoon Leader. Major Hogan’s subsequent assignments provided him a broad base of troop and staff assignments. He attended the Infantry Officer Basic course and served with the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Colorado Army National Guard, as the Detachment Executive Officer and later as the Commander.
Major Hogan attended the Special Forces Officer Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He then served with the 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and Alabama Army National Guard as a Detachment Commander. He attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia and the Special Forces Thai Language Course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He accepted an active duty appointment in the grade of Captain on April 4th, 1993. He served with the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) Fort Lewis, Washington as a Battalion Operations Officer and Detachment Commander; and as the Commander, Special Forces Instructor Detachment, U.S. Army Jungle Operations Training Battalion, Fort Sherman, Panama. He joined the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans.
Major Hogan’s awards and decorations include: the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Scuba Diver Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge and Pathfinder Badge. Major General Kensinger (Cole’s supervisor) said, “Cole was an extremely dedicated officer with great attention to detail. He was a great athlete who was looking forward to commanding a Special Forces Company later this year. Cole loved the Army…” Cole was fond of using this simple quote by Colin Powell, “All my life I have always wanted to be a soldier.”
Major Hogan is survived by his wife, P. Pat Phermsangngam (Hogan), Major USAF, Alexandria, Virginia; his parents, Wallace and Jane Hogan of Macon, Georgia; and sisters, Meg Campbell and Kris Leggett.
