Gregg Wenzel
Encyclopedia
Gregg David Wenzel was an operations officer of the Central Intelligence Agency
killed in Ethiopia
in 2003.
He was born in Manhattan
, New York
to Gladys and Mitch Wenzel, brother of Maura, Rachel and Heather. Wenzel spent his childhood years in the Bronx
and in Monroe, New York
. He was a graduate of Monroe-Woodbury Senior High School
in 1987, and Binghamton University
in 1991. He studied abroad at Tel Aviv University
and received his Juris Doctor
from the University of Miami School of Law
in 1994.
After graduating, Wenzel worked as an Assistant Public Defender
for Miami-Dade County, Florida
for three years. He then worked as Bar Counsel for the Florida Bar
. Wenzel was a police academy
instructor for the Miami-Dade Community College-North Campus School of Justice and Safety Administration, Assistant Public Defender for Dade County and also served on the Florida Bar Counsel where he tried Supreme Court cases.
Wenzel was a ten-time marathon
runner and finisher, three-time Ironman
finisher as well as a world traveler. He was affiliated with many organizations, some of which include Chabad, the University of Miami Masters Swimming, The Florida Bar Speakers Bureau, The Florida State and Federal Bar (Southern District), FACDL, Dade County Bar Association (Young Lawyer's Division), Civil Litigation Committee (DCBA), Miami Runners Club and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training.
At the time of his death, Wenzel was 33 years old, he was employed as a clandestine CIA officer and was stationed in Addis Ababa
, Ethiopia
until he was killed in a tragic car accident on July 9, 2003.
On June 1, 2009 the CIA uncovered Gregg's identity as a clandestine services officer.
Wenzel leaves behind his parents Gladys and Mitchell, his sister Maura and her husband George Liberopoulos, his sister Rachel and her husband Jay Caplan, his sister Heather and her husband Ron Sznol, his nephews Michael and Joshua and niece Jessica, his uncle Joe and his cousins Allison, Philip and Julie, and many friends. His memory will be instilled in the many lives he inspired and touched with his positive attitude and motivation toward life.
Wenzel's best friend Elliot Silver hosts an eternal memorial website
.
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
killed in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in 2003.
He was born in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Gladys and Mitch Wenzel, brother of Maura, Rachel and Heather. Wenzel spent his childhood years in the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
and in Monroe, New York
Monroe (town), New York
Monroe is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 31,407 at the 2000 census. The town is named after President James Monroe....
. He was a graduate of Monroe-Woodbury Senior High School
Monroe-Woodbury High School
Monroe-Woodbury High School is located in Central Valley, New York, part of the town and village of Woodbury in Orange County. It educates all students in grades 9-12 in the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District...
in 1987, and Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
in 1991. He studied abroad at Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
and received his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Miami School of Law
University of Miami School of Law
The University of Miami School of Law, founded in 1926, is the law school of the University of Miami, located in Coral Gables, Florida, in the United States. The school graduated its first class of 13 students in 1929.- Academics :...
in 1994.
After graduating, Wenzel worked as an Assistant Public Defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
for Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
for three years. He then worked as Bar Counsel for the Florida Bar
The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar association in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys....
. Wenzel was a police academy
Police academy
A police academy is a training school for new police recruits, also known as a law enforcement academy.-Australia:Larger police departments usually run their own academies. States often run a centralised academy for training of personnel of law enforcement agencies within the state.Police...
instructor for the Miami-Dade Community College-North Campus School of Justice and Safety Administration, Assistant Public Defender for Dade County and also served on the Florida Bar Counsel where he tried Supreme Court cases.
Wenzel was a ten-time marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
runner and finisher, three-time Ironman
Ironman Triathlon
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation consisting of a swim, a bike and a marathon run, raced in that order and without a break...
finisher as well as a world traveler. He was affiliated with many organizations, some of which include Chabad, the University of Miami Masters Swimming, The Florida Bar Speakers Bureau, The Florida State and Federal Bar (Southern District), FACDL, Dade County Bar Association (Young Lawyer's Division), Civil Litigation Committee (DCBA), Miami Runners Club and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training.
At the time of his death, Wenzel was 33 years old, he was employed as a clandestine CIA officer and was stationed in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
until he was killed in a tragic car accident on July 9, 2003.
On June 1, 2009 the CIA uncovered Gregg's identity as a clandestine services officer.
Wenzel leaves behind his parents Gladys and Mitchell, his sister Maura and her husband George Liberopoulos, his sister Rachel and her husband Jay Caplan, his sister Heather and her husband Ron Sznol, his nephews Michael and Joshua and niece Jessica, his uncle Joe and his cousins Allison, Philip and Julie, and many friends. His memory will be instilled in the many lives he inspired and touched with his positive attitude and motivation toward life.
Wenzel's best friend Elliot Silver hosts an eternal memorial website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
.