Their Story
Remembering Tofiga Tautolo.
Sergeant Tofiga Tautolo was a soldier's soldier — proud, steady, and known for a low-key humor that could keep an entire team calm when everything around them was not. His commanding officer, Capt. Bryan Gray, called him "the strongest of us, the best of us," saying he was well respected by peers, subordinates, and leaders alike.
Yet what his brothers-in-arms remember most is how constantly he spoke of home: his wife, Rita, and their children.
Born August 31, 1988, in Pago Pago, American Samoa, Tofiga grew up in Wilmington, California, and graduated from Manu'a High School in 2006. He answered the call to serve straight out of high school, first enlisting in the United States Marine Corps and deploying to Iraq and to Afghanistan.
He went on to continue his service in the U.S. Army as a cavalry scout, driver, and gunner with the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Carson, Colorado. Across both branches he deployed twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan, earning the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.
On May 27, 2012, Sergeant Tautolo was killed in action in Bati Kot, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was twenty-three years old. He is survived by his wife, Rita, and their children.