Mountain Man Memorial March

28 April 1988 - 13 July 2008

On This Day, 13-JUL 2008, We Honor a Fallen Hero

Gunnar William Zwilling was born 28-APR 1988 in Huntington Beach, California.  His parents were Kurt Zwilling and Laura Hall.  He had one brother, Alex Zwilling who served in the Air Force.  In 1993 he lived in Nashville Tennessee a few years before moving to Florissant and then to O’Fallon MO.  He enlisted in the Army when he was 17 years old after graduating from Hazelwood West High School.  His mother Laura died in November 2007.  Gunnar’s father, Kurt Zwilling is a Navy Veteran from the Vietnam era.  

Corporal Gunnar Zwilling was  assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.  His unit was deployed in Afghanistan in 2008.  Troops in Afghanistan at the time worried they were understaffed as they prepared to open a new forward base in remote area.  It’s going to be a bloodbath,” he told his father, Kurt Zwilling, on the phone in what would be their last conversation. Kurt Zwilling braced himself for the worst but held out hope that his son would make it home. 

Gunnar William Zwilling was killed in action 13-JUL 2008 of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan.  He was 20.  Kurt Zwilling said his son might have foreseen his fate.  He told his father to stay strong if he should die in battle.  

It was the single deadliest attack since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. More than 200 enemy fighters swarmed a small, remote combat outpost near the village of Wanat, near the country’s porous border with Pakistan.  They brought with them machine guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. The U.S. and coalition soldiers were outnumbered by at least 2 to 1.The battle was fierce. Enemy fighters fought their way onto the newly established base known as Combat Outpost Kahler. 

The Americans and Afghans, numbering fewer than 100, fought back, defending their post and calling in airstrikes.  When the fighting stopped, the enemy had suffered heavy casualties, with reports of more than 100 killed or wounded.  But the Americans had suffered too. Nine U.S. soldiers were killed, and 15 others were wounded.  Apart from helicopter crashes, the bloody July 13th battle was the worst, most costly inflicted on a single U.S. battalion of any attack since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.

The soldiers, from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, of Vicenza, Italy, were supposed to be coming home soon. The brigade deployed to Afghanistan in June 2007 and about 680 soldiers are already home in Vicenza, with the last of the soldiers expected home by the first week of August.

This final attack on the battalion’s C Company soldiers would make it the hardest-hit company to have served in Operation Enduring Freedom. The company lost 15 men since deploying to Afghanistan, the most for one Army company in both operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. In total, 24 men from the battalion were killed during this deployment.

The nine soldiers killed July 13th brought the number to 42 soldiers from the 173rd killed during this deployment. Since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through July 16, nine soldiers from the 173rd have been killed in Iraq, 58 in Afghanistan. 

Previously, the single deadliest incident to claim multiple U.S. lives in Afghanistan, excluding helicopter crashes, was 29 JAN 2004, when a weapons cache explosion in Ghazni killed eight soldiers.

Also killed in the attack were:

1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom
Sgt. Israel Garcia
Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers
Cpl. Jason D. Hovater
Cpl. Jason M. Bogar
Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips
Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey
Pfc. Sergio S. Abad.
After the fierce combat that 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry endured in the past 15 months, several of its soldiers earned valor awards including the Silver Star, the third highest award for valor, and the Bronze Star with V device.  

Service for Gunnar William Zwilling was at Baue Funeral and Memorial Center in St. Charles.  Gunnar William Zwilling is buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis MO.  Brigadier General Tom Hodge attended the service and presented Kurt Zwilling with a posthumous Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Good Conduct Medal.  

Gunnar William Zwilling is honored and remembered at the St. Charles County Veterans Museum.  

16 September 1982 - 27 December 2006
 

Lance Corporal William C. Koprince, Jr. was born in Dearborn, Michigan, and moved to Lenoir City, Tennessee, at age eight. He graduated from Lenoir City High School in 2001. He loved the outdoors, especially hiking in the mountains. Quiet and kind, he was known for his sense of humor and playful pranks. After his final deployment, he planned to attend college and study landscaping.

He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003 and completed basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina he then continued training at Camp Lejeune, NC. His first deployment was to Djibouti, a key location between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In March 2005, he deployed to Iraq for eight months to help guard the Iraqi border with Syria along the Euphrates River. In July 2006, he began a second tour with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. On December 27, 2006, during a joint foot patrol with the Iraqi Army near Habbaniyah in Anbar Province, he was killed by an improvised explosive device.

He was awarded many medals for his tours, skills, training, etc. He was awarded the Purple Heart meritoriously.

Life sadly changed 2 days after Christmas in 2006, never to be the same.  He is missed greatly by his mother, his father (deceased in 2020), his sister Morgan Moore, her husband Andy Moore, his nephews and nieces,William (Billy) Moore, Anna Moore, Campbell Moore, & Abigail Moore.  His nephews and nieces know their uncle well through many stories and each year they attend Mountain Man Memorial March.  In 2025 in honor of their uncle both Billy and Anna participated in the MMMM along with their mother, father, & grandmother.  Billy was honored several times by his late father as he completed the entire march as well as both parents completing the 1/2 marathon together.  One of the greatest fears after your child's sacrifice is that they will be forgotten.  MMMM helps to ease that fear in honoring the fallen and their family.

4 May 1984 - 13 July 2008

Jonathan was born in Atlanta, Georgia and was raised in the community of Snellville where he played soccer from the age of 4, learning not only defense but later on in his years of playing becoming a strong offensive player as well. He enjoyed the comradery, played hard but also always defending his teammates.

In the crucible of the Battle of Wanat, Afghanistan, on July 13th, 2008, he embodied the very spirit of resilience, rising through adversity as iron is forged in flames. Only a few days from leaving Wanat and in a town where they were trying to set up a base, the Chosen Company came under attack from several hundred insurgents. With very few supplies, protection walls not built and drone support being pulled to protect a visiting General, the 40 members of Chosen Company felt the rush of an oncoming battle starting at 4:20 in the morning.

The OP that was over the base only had a big rock and they had dug out a shallow hole to protect them, but they knew that if they were overrun all their team in the base below would not have much protection, so they stood their ground.  Almost all in the OP and the ones trying to get them ammo from the base died.  Jonathan was hit once in his helmet but got back up to continue firing at the insurgents. The second time he was hit was the one that took his life. He was honored by many of the ones that survived by being at his silver star ceremony, held in the high school where he graduated.

Om May 20, 2009, the swearing-in room at Ft. Gilliam where recruits take the oath of enlistment, was dedicated as the Corporal Jonathan Ayers U.S. Army Ceremony Room. Jonathan also had the intersection on a major highway near his high school named after him.

Jonathan was a person of faith, loved helping others, enjoyed making people laugh and cared deeply for his family and friends. Jonathan was a very talented musician as well as singer. In his younger years as well as soccer, he sang with the Young Singers of Callanwolde and in middle school played the cello and would get to school early to practice becoming 1st chair. So, when his comrades from Chosen Company told us he would quit reading, get off his bunk and run up a high score on guitar hero, we were not surprised. In high school he had given up the cello to be in the JROTC. He became Cadet Commander his senior year and awarded Outstanding Commander at the State of Georgia JROCT drill meet. He never gave up on singing with us or even playing handbells in his mother’s handbell choir.

Though he is gone, his legacy echoes in the hearts of all who knew him—an enduring reminder that courage, honor, and brotherhood live on.

7 October 1986 - 29 Septermber 2008

Specialist Christopher T. Fox was born on October 7, 1986 in Memphis. He attended Hamilton High School and then the Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corps Training Facility in Arkansas where he received carpentry training and his GED. Fox joined the Army in March 2005 and was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training. After training he was assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado to B Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

Fox served his first tour in Baqubah, Iraq from November 2005 until January 2007. During this time he received a Purple Heart for wounds received from the explosion of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). He returned to Iraq for a second tour in 2008. Fox was Killed In Action on September 29, 2008, age twenty-one, in Adhamiyah, Iraq when he encountered small-arms fire while conducting a dismounted routine patrol. Fox had been approached by local children requesting water from the soldiers. After receiving permission to retrieve the bottles from the vehicle, he was shot in the right armpit by a sniper. This was one week before his twenty-second birthday.

His awards included the Bronze Star Medal and two Purple Hearts. He is buried at Crittenden County Memorial Park, Marion, Arkansas.

15 May 1978 - 25 November 2006

Daniel Marshall Morris was a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant. Born in 1978 in Oak Ridge, Tennesse, he always wore camo, dreaming of becoming a part of the U.S. Army one day and serving our country. On Nov. 25, 2008 at age 28, he passed away while on active duty serving in Al Judiah, Iraq. While on patrol in the Diyala Providence, he was killed by a road side bomb. Morris graduated Clinton High School in 1996. As a strong member of the Lakeview Baptist Church in Clinton, Tennessee and then the New Testament Church in Killeen, Texas he was well known by many. When Morris was of age 21, he enlisted in the army and became committed to our country and God. After his serving in the U.S. Army he wanted to go to Bible college and become a minister. Dying at the age of 28, Morris leaves behind his parents, one brother, one sister and one daughter.

24 December 1973 - 4 May 2006

SSgt Gavin B. Reinke, 32, was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He died in Baghdad, Iraq on May 4, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle during combat operations.

SSgt. Reinke was deployed for his second tour of duty in Iraq in November. Reinke died while trying to help fellow soldiers whose Humvee had been hit by an explosive device moments earlier.

“That's exactly the kind of person he was,” wife Karen Reinke said. “He was an amazing man. As a friend, as a father, as a husband, and it carried over to being a soldier.”

Reinke was born in New Jersey, but his family moved to Pueblo, Colorado in 1980. He was a 1993 graduate of Pueblo Central High School and attended Pueblo Community College, where he studied Spanish. He joined the military in 1996. Carole Reinke said he loved his job and wanted to stay in the Army for at least 20 years.
When his workday at home was over, he relaxed by hunting deer, elk and turkeys, fishing, and riding all-terrain vehicles — basically any activity that could be done outdoors. Usually, his young daughter was by his side.
“He gave his life for his men,” Karen Reinke said.

He is survived by his wife and daughter.

January 31, 1985 - 9 July 2011

First Lt. Thomas Joseph Williams Jr., 26, and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Daniel Cole, 41, of Knoxville died Saturday when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior crashed near Caryville’s Exit 141 on Interstate 75 around 5:30 p.m., according to the Tennessee National Guard.

The men served with the 230th Air Cavalry Squadron, Troop C, based at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Louisville. They were conducting a routine training flight, Guard officials said.

Harpeth Hills Funeral Home

Thomas Joseph Williams, Jr. was born January 31, 1985, in Nashville to Thomas Joseph Williams, Sr. and Lynne Tune Williams. In addition to loving parents, Thomas has two loving sisters Ann-Marie and Mary Jo Williams. Thomas’ love of his life for the past 5 years is Nikki Schmidt, who was his fiancé, confidant and best friend.

Thomas touched the lives of so many through all aspects of this life – family, friends, fraternity and military. His ambition and personality affected each person he came across, and he left a lasting legacy in every life he entered.

Thomas was a pilot and a proud patriot. He was an Aviation Officer of OH-58D(R) and Platoon Leader in C/1/230th ACS with the Tennessee Army National Guard at the McGee Tyson Aviation Flight Facility outside of Knoxville.

Thomas was owner and president of Southeast Investment Group, which he started in 2009 in Knoxville, specializing in real estate sales and investments as well as construction and project management. Thomas was especially proud and loved restoring and renovating older and historic homes, particularly the Victorian houses in the World’s Fair Park area in Knoxville.

He was an affiliate broker at ERA Top Producers Real Estate in Knoxville and also was a Project Manager at A & L Construction. As a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, Thomas became a real estate agent, affiliate broker and advisor with Coldwell Banker Wallace and Wallace in Knoxville.

Thomas graduated from Hillwood High School in Nashville in 2003 and entered the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, where he graduated in December 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Geography with concentrations in Military Science, business, urban development and land use and planning. During his freshman year at UT, Thomas joined Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and remained active in the organization.

As a cadet, Thomas served with the U.S. Army Reserve and TNARNG, C TRP/1/230th ACS. Thomas was commissioned as a 2LT Tennessee Army National Guard after completing the UT ROTC program. He returned to the UT Army ROTC program in 2011 as an assistant professor of Military Science.

After being commissioned, Thomas became Officer Strength Manager and Interim Company Commander of Det 2 HHT/1/230th ACS. In February 2008, he moved into Liaison Officer of the Det 2 HHT/1/230th ACS. He also completed a Leadership Training Course at Fort Knox, Ky., and a Leadership Development and Assessment Course at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

In March 2009, he left for Officer Training. He completed Basic Officer Leadership Course II at Ft. Benning, Ga., and Aviation Officer Basic Course OH-58D(R) at Ft. Rucker, Ala. In November 2010, he returned to serve as Aviation Officer and Platoon Leader at Det 2 HHT/1/230th ACS at Alcoa.

At Ft. Rucker in 2009 and 2010, Thomas completed HOST – Helicopter Overwater Survival Training; DUNKER-N9; HEEDS -Helicopter Emergency Egress Device System; SERE – Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape; Level C Full Spectrum; and U. S. Army Armor School Cavalry Leader Course.

15 November 1985 - 28 January 2010

Army Staff Sergeant Rusty Hunter Christian died of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan on 28 January 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was 24 years old, of Greeneville, Tenn. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Force Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

This man was in my Platoon during my first deployment to Iraq. I served with him for 15 months from 06-07 in Baghdad. Rusty Christian was dedicated Soldier and he loved his wife. I learned a lot from him and it has stayed with me through my career. TOMAHAWKS.   –Submitted by Darrin Carroll

July 23, 1974 – August 8, 2012

Greg was raised in Norton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Norton High School in 1992. He earned a science degree from Fisher College in North Attleborough and a certificate in electrical engineering from Dartmouth College. He had a natural gift for building, wiring, and fixing—able to create something from nothing. He led with humility, taught with quiet confidence, and earned respect through example, not rank. He was a brilliant mind and a steady soul—a trusted teammate and a father whose quiet presence brought comfort, strength, and unwavering love. He was known for his wit, grace, unassuming character, and deep love for his young daughter.

Greg enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1998 as an artilleryman. After completing basic training, he joined Delta Battery, 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He later served as a howitzer section chief in Vicenza, Italy, and deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2006, he volunteered for the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course. After completing the course in 2007, he joined the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a communications sergeant and deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. He was later assigned to Company B, 4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) and deployed again in April 2010. In January 2012, he began his fifth deployment in support of Overseas Contingency Operations. On July 31, 2012, he was mortally wounded by small arms fire during combat operations in Shindand Province, Afghanistan. He was evacuated to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where he died of his wounds on August 8, 2012.

His legacy of courage, love, and quiet strength endures through his wife, Beth; his daughter, Gwyn; and the many family members, friends, and fellow soldiers who knew him.

February 8, 1975 – December 23, 2021

Darren grew up in Worthington, Ohio, and graduated from Worthington Kilbourne High School in 1993, where he played lacrosse. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, earning a degree in systems engineering in 1998 while continuing his lacrosse career.

He was commissioned as a field artillery officer and stationed in Giessen, Germany, before deploying to Kosovo with Task Force Falcon. In 2003, he completed the Special Forces Officer Qualification Course at Fort Bragg and was awarded the Green Beret. He deployed to Iraq three times with Operational Detachment Alpha 061, 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). During his second deployment in 2005, Darren sustained traumatic brain injuries from two IED explosions. Despite these injuries, he returned to Iraq for a third deployment. He later served as aide-de-camp to the Special Forces commanding general at Fort Bragg and as commander of Detachment East, Alpha Company, Special Activities Training Battalion. He was medically retired in 2013 due to the progression of his injuries.

On December 23, 2021, Darren passed away peacefully at home after more than sixteen years of living with the effects of traumatic brain injury. He is remembered for his adventurous spirit and his love of the outdoors and travel. He thrived on connecting with people and brought energy and joy to every room—often through karaoke or dance—which earned him the nicknames “Hollywood” and “Elvis.”

His legacy lives on through his wife, Bianca; his extended family, friends, and comrades; and the Major Darren Baldwin Legacy Foundation.