This week’s Veteran Spotlight honors Derek Volkmer, a Baltimore native who served in the U.S. Army with the 101st Airborne.
Volkmer served in Iraq from 2005 to 2009 and also took part in a peace mission in Egypt connected to the Camp David peace treaty. He was honorably discharged from the military.
Known as “Red Beard,” Volkmer was remembered by his family as a devoted family man and proud veteran whose humor brought laughter to those around him. He also volunteered at schools, community events and Touch-a-Truck events.
Volkmer died Sept. 3, 2026, in Virginia. He was 40. He was born July 4, 1986, in Baltimore.
If you know a veteran you’d like WMAR-2 News to recognize, you can nominate them for our Veteran Spotlight.
Facebook 
TikTok 
YouTube
Instagram
Threads
XThis story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
