CINCINNATI, OH, US
U.S. Army
PFC, TROOP A, 1ST SQUADRON, 32D CAV REGT, 1 BCT, FORT CAMPBELL, KY
01/12/2011, FOB BOSTICK, AFGHANISTAN
Army Private First Class Zachary S. Salmon died January 12, 2011 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. PFC Salmon was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky, died Jan. 12 at Forward Operating Base Bostick, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered after insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire. Pfc Salmon was twenty-one years old.
Residents of Pigeon Forge recognize Zack’s legacy in East Tennessee as a man of honor and the father of a three-year-old son. He was a graduate of Pigeon Forge High School and had joined the Army in March of 2010. He deployed to Afghanistan in September of 2010. It was his first deployment.
He was scheduled to return in April 2011 to be married in September. His girlfriend shared a softer side of the young warrior while talking of the things she would always remember about him. “His smile and the person he was, the caring person he was. He went out of his way for anyone and everyone.” Zack made even the most mundane thing fun.
Family describes him as a remarkable and fine young man, vibrant, and with a spiritual nature. He was a loving and giving person who sought to put others first. He pursued the military because he wanted to better himself and give his young son someone and something to be proud of. His world was centered on his young son. As a member of the 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Zack was a cavalry scout and very proud of it.
Army PFC Zachary Salmon, took a sniper’s bullet Wednesday in Afghanistan, wearing a tattoo on his leg that says, “Life is but a vapor,” a reference to a favorite passage of Scripture, James 4:14. On the Facebook page created in his honor it reads, “Zack was the person you could count on when you needed a good friend–his laughter was infectious & his smile warm. He decided to serve our country and joined the Army as a Cavalry Scout. He was a leader in his troop & earned the Leadership award as he graduated from Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Sadly, his life ended serving in Afghanistan. He was doing something he believed in. He is the epitome of a Hero. His body may be gone, but his spirit lives on. No one will forget the memories they had with him. Rest in Peace my friend. We will see you someday soon.”
Zachary leaves behind his mother in Hebron; his father and brother, of Hamilton Salmon of Hamilton; two sisters; as well as his son Noah and his fiancee’.