Soldiers, families keep memories alive at Fort Jackson’s Run for the Fallen

Toni Stack remembers her son, Michael.

Karen Bullard remembers her son, David.

Ryanlynn and Uriah Zanowick remember their husband and father, Paul.

They joined thousands of others at Fort Jackson on Saturday in honoring the 350 South Carolinians who have lost their lives in active military service since the turn of this century.

For the fifth straight year, 80-year-old Stack walked in Fort Jackson’s annual Run for the Fallen 5K in honor of Sgt. Maj. Michael Stack, her son who died May 11, 2004, while serving in the Army Special Forces in Iraq.

Michael Stack, who was 48, loved his God, family, the outdoors and the Army, his mother said. He was killed on Easter morning in an ambush attack, when he drew fire so his team could get to safety.

“My biggest regret is not being there when Michael passed, because I didn’t get to tell him I loved him,” Toni Stack said.

Like Michael Stack, Staff Sgt. David Bullard was a man who valued God first, his family second and his military duties third, his mother, Karen Bullard, said.

He was lost Oct. 30, 2007, while serving with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan.

David Bullard loved Superman, his mother remembers. Saturday, she wore a “Go Team Bullard” T-shirt emblazoned with the Superman logo in his honor. She sees her son’s legacy live on in his now 8-year-old son, Christopher – named after Christopher Reeve, who played his father’s favorite superhero in the movies.

Five-year-old Uriah Zanowick, meanwhile, doesn’t have many memories of his father, other than what he knows through stories and photographs.

His father, Marine Cpl. Paul Zanowick, gave his life June 3, 2011, in Afghanistan. His wife, Ryanlynn, has participated in the Run for the Fallen for four years in his honor.

“This is a way to remember him and memorialize him,” Ryanlynn Zanowick said. “It’s just important to remember what all the men and women do for our country and the fact that they’re out sacrificing their lives every day. And we need to keep them in our hearts and their memories alive as best as possible.”

The 1,500 Fort Jackson soldiers and more than 700 civilians who ran and walked with the Zanowicks, Bullards and Stacks on Saturday agreed. Many carried American flags, wore memorial T-shirts and ran with bibs naming their fallen family members and friends.

Setting both the pace and the tone of remembrance was Fort Jackson’s post commander. Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier stood before dozens of Gold Star family members, survivors of fallen soldiers, before leading the run.

“We will not forget our fallen comrades, and we pledge our support to not only carrying their memory with us but also doing everything we can to assist their families,” Cloutier said. “It is our duty and our sacred responsibility not to forget.

“As time passes, memories fade. We can never forget the sacrifice that these families and our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines have made in defense of this great nation.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2015 at 2:01 PM.