Among a sea of students dressed in black graduation gowns at Ithaca College’s 1973 Commencement ceremony stood one student, proudly dressed in his white U.S. Marine Corps commissioning suit: Second Lieutenant Robert L. Wolf. After leaving the college, Wolf went on to travel the world, rise to the rank of major general, and become the commander of the New York Naval Militia (NYNM).

The summer after graduating from Ithaca with a degree in physical education, Wolf participated in a Marine Corps program. His education and training ultimately provided him with the chance to assist in a multitude of significant events, such as the 1977 Bermuda riots, the blizzard of 1996, and the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

During the Bermuda riots of 1977, Wolf helped ensure the safety of the consul general.

“There were tires burning and people throwing stuff,” Wolf said. “You were going down these roads where you could be ambushed at any time.”

Bermuda’s consul general, an official appointed by the U.S. government to look after its commercial interests on the island, was being threatened and requested the help of the US Marines. During a time when politics, the criminal justice system, and the race issue were coming together to spark one of the most violent periods in Bermuda’s history, Wolf sent helicopters from the southern coast to reinforce the consul general’s guard while crowds protested in the streets.

In 1996, a blizzard paralyzed the East Coast for days. With nearly five feet of snow in some locations, the US Marines were called in to help. Wolf served as deputy commander for operations at the time, the third senior in the chain of command of the NYNM. In addition to snow removal, the reservists’ main mission was to drive New York Police Department (NYPD) and Fire Department ambulance personnel in their new Humvees through the snow-covered streets of Staten Island, New York, because their regular vehicles couldn’t negotiate the roads.

A brigadier general at the time of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Wolf received word of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers. He immediately changed from his business suit into his camouflage uniform, which he referred to as his “superman uniform.”

“When everybody saw our uniforms, it’s almost like they breathed a sigh of relief because the US Marines had landed, so to speak,” he said.

Coordinating with the National Guard, the naval militia, and the NYPD, Wolf made sure the perimeter of security was tight around the site of the attack for the next few months. With the remains of the destroyed buildings standing about three stories high, there were many ways people could get hurt. Wolf said the scene resembled a “nuclear winter.”

Wolf is now the associate director of graduate admissions at the State University of New York Maritime College and is finishing his doctorate in organizational leadership with a minor in human resource management at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Ithaca alumnus returns to campus every once in a while, either to give a presentation or to catch up with classmate Mike Welch ’73, head coach of the Bombers football team. Last fall, Wolf gave a presentation at the college regarding emergency management and business continuity. He provided the audience with many key lessons he learned over the course of his career, such as the importance of principles in crisis situations.

“When you are in an emergency situation, you still have to keep your ethics,” he said. “People could be harmed if you’re not thinking about the secondary and tertiary effects.”

In command of the New York Naval Militia since 2008, Wolf turned over command of the militia on December 6, 2014.

“I’m just getting started,” Wolf said of his professional life. “I appreciate the camaraderie I’ve built over time and look forward to continuing to serve.”