42, of Mesa, Ariz.; assigned to the 363rd Explosive Ordnance Company, Army National Guard, Casa Grande, Ariz.; killed Feb. 9 when a collection of unexploded ordnance, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds detonated while being moved to a demolition point in Sinjar, Iraq.

 

Arizona man killed in Iraq known for his dedication

By Chris Fiscus
The Arizona Republic

 

While his family grieved privately, friends of a Mesa soldier killed Feb. 9 in Iraq remembered him as a quiet man dedicated to his family, his work and the military.

An explosion killed Sgt. Elijah Tai Wah Wong, a 42-year-old husband and father of three who became the first Arizona National Guardsman and the 16th Arizona solider to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“If you knew Eli, you knew his family was his love. His family was everything to him,” said Sally Maurizi, who supervised Wong when he worked in adult probation for Maricopa County.

 

She had a hard time describing him physically but not emotionally. A quiet but funny man, Wong also had a deep passion for his work both in the county and in the Guard, she said.

“He worked his job because he believed it. Eli felt this was his contribution back to society,” she said, adding that he was in Iraq because he believed in that role, too.

“He was a soldier,” she said. “He knew that. He knew that when he left he might not come back. He gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

 

A critical stress-management team met Wednesday with Wong’s former co-workers in Phoenix and in the Mesa offices where he also worked.

Family members and close friends declined to comment Wednesday. A yellow ribbon hung above the garage of the family’s white ranch-style home near Gilbert and Baseline roads.

Wong was moving unexploded ordnance, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds to a demolition site when they detonated. Wong and a soldier from New York were killed, and others were injured.

 

There are about 550 Arizona Army National Guardsmen in Iraq and Afghanistan and 350 more who were mobilized in December and are awaiting an airlift to Iraq. And his death also sent a sobering reminder that the Guard isn’t immune to tragedy.

“We’re an integral part of the total force,” said Maj. Eileen Bienz, state public affairs officer for the Arizona National Guard. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with active-duty soldiers” and the myriad others in a hostile environment.

 

She has been in the Guard for 23 years. “We are like a family,” she said. When someone deploys or is hit with tragedy, “it’s like your own kids.”

No information was available on services for Wong, who has served in the Army since March 1984, according to military records.

Wong was part of the 363rd Explosive Ordnance Company in Casa Grande. The company was mobilized in November 2002 in support of Operation Noble Eagle and deployed to Fort Irwin, Calif., where it served until October 2003. The company then joined Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed to Iraq on Oct. 24.

 

The 363rd’s mission is to reduce or eliminate the hazards of munitions and explosive devices and to provide explosive ordnance-disposal support to military and civilian officials.

While the military investigates Wong’s death, Maurizi thinks back to his work in adult probation. He worked as a surveillance officer, keeping tabs on those on intensive probation. He entered an already established unit but fit in smoothly.

“This man had the ability to just move into anywhere and be accepted,” she said of Wong. “His co-workers respected him. He was a good worker. He had a calming effect, a calming yet firm approach.”

“I think Eli touched everyone he met,” she added. “He was a good man.”