Maj. Darren Baldwin: Family commemorates 1993 Worthington Kilbourne grad via scholarships

Many people in Worthington remember 1993 Worthington Kilbourne High School graduate Darren Baldwin.

"Darren was everyone's friend, loved by all and blessed to have known him," said his sister, Veronica Asbury-Frollini.

Baldwin not only made friends in Worthington, but he also earned the respect and admiration of his soldiers as a U.S. Army Special Forces major sent on three deployments to Iraq.

The public is invited to a May 14 memorial tribute to Baldwin, who at age 46 died Dec. 23, 2021, from injuries he had sustained in Iraq in 2005.

The event will be held at 10:30 a.m. at Worthington Christian Church, 8145 N. High St., said his mother, Fran Wesseling.

People remember Baldwin, Wesseling said, because he always had a smile, as well as respect and compassion for everyone he would meet.

Comments from acquaintances: Classmates and friends share memories of Maj. Baldwin.

"He touched so many people with that smile and with that compassion ... that legacy of kindness and the footprint of goodness that he left behind," she said.

"Darren was the brother who always made you feel larger than life, that you mattered and were loved, that you were the shiny penny in his pile of coins,” Asbury-Frollini said. “Everyone felt that way – from family to teammates, to coaches and teachers, clergymen to the family pet."

"A handsome and fit young man, he was never full of himself or arrogant. He was lighthearted, funny and inviting," said his twin brother, Mark Baldwin. "He was popular precisely because he didn't care if he was popular. He was not perfect. He didn't succeed at everything. But he was able to overcome adversity when most would just give up."

It was those traits, Mark Baldwin said, that helped his brother navigate his duties as the leader of a Green Beret team during the Iraq war as part of the 10th Special Forces Group.

"He cared deeply about his entire team," said his wife, Bianca Baldwin. "His soldiers, his team members, they would always say he might be an officer, and he was a great officer, a good leader, but he was a soldier at heart. He would do whatever he could to keep them safe, bring them home, which he did. ... He was just very loved. He was a leader, but he was their friend. He would have pretty much done anything for them."

Baldwin graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York, and served in Germany and Kosovo before joining the Special Forces in 2003. In addition to the Purple Heart medal, he was awarded the Bronze Star medal three times for his Iraq service, his wife said.

During much of Darren Baldwin's time in Iraq, he was "down range" – away from a military base and embedded in the local environment – as part of a 12-man Special Forces team, Mark Baldwin said.

Darren Baldwin's personality helped him gain trust among the local population, and he prioritized fulfilling his mission and keeping his team safe, his brother said.

"He would tell you his most proud accomplishment was that none of his team were killed or injured under his watch," his brother said.

On his second deployment, he twice was riding in vehicles struck by improvised explosive devices March 9 and 18, 2005, Bianca Baldwin said.

He completed that deployment and returned to Iraq for a third deployment in January 2006, shortened by his symptoms that included frequent migraine headaches and slight tremors in his hands, she said.

Thirteen months after the explosions, it was determined he had sustained what is called closed traumatic brain injury, resulting without fracture or injury to the skull, she said.

According to information from Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baldwin’s injury is similar to shaken-baby syndrome.

“Closed brain injuries happen when there is a nonpenetrating injury to the brain with no break in the skull,” according to a Johns Hopkins online fact sheet. “A closed brain injury is caused by a rapid forward or backward movement and shaking of the brain inside the bony skull that results in bruising and tearing of brain tissue and blood vessels. Closed brain injuries are usually caused by car accidents, falls and increasingly, in sports. Shaking a baby can also result in this type of injury (called shaken baby syndrome).”

It was not until several years after her son's injury that the medical community and Army doctors recognized the extent and danger of such trauma, Wesseling said, adding that it was civilian doctors who had diagnosed him.

In the following years, she said, her son's condition worsened; he experienced many hospitalizations and was willing to try any experimental treatment.

Although he remained mentally alert, she said, it became clear he could not survive his injury.

"The doctors were amazed he lived as long as he did. They were just blown away. He far exceeded their expectations," she said.

"Above all, he was a great husband," his wife said. "I miss him. We all miss him. The world is not quite the same without him, and I don't think it ever will be again."

"Even when he became severely disabled, he became a beacon of faith and hope and strength," his mother said. "Even after he was injured and his whole physical being started to deteriorate, he felt this was his commitment to his country and to his people, and if he had to do it all over again, he'd go back in if he were able."

In his memory, the family created the Maj. Darren R. Baldwin Scholarship, which makes available to graduating Worthington Kilbourne High School seniors two one-time scholarships of $2,500 – one to a four-year college and the other to a trade school.

Details of the scholarship are available at majordarrenbaldwinlegacyfoundation.org, which also lists tributes from those who knew Darren Baldwin.

"Like so many others, I looked up to Darren as the kind of officer and kind of man I wanted to be – bright, capable, caring and magnificently radiant with positivity," Army Col. Walt Cooper wrote in one such tribute. "It was an honor to have known and served alongside Darren. I will miss him."

The family asks that those attending the May 14 memorial tribute RSVP at darrenbaldwinlegacyfoundation@gmail.com.

Those presenting the program will include Baldwin's wife, brother, sister and nephew Connor Asbury.

Also speaking will be two men who had served with Baldwin in the Army, Col. Kenneth Hurst and Sgt. Maj. Leonard Bruce.

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Worthington Kilbourne: Family honors Darren Baldwin via scholarships