CPT Mark Garner Street honors Hohenfels community member, fallen 1-4 Inf. Regt. warrior

USAG BAVARIA - HOHENFELS, Germany - Members of the Hohenfels military community gathered to honor a fallen hero and dedicate a street as CPT Mark Garner Street July 31, 2024 located next to the headquarters building of 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment.

U.S. Army officers from across Europe, Hohenfels area mayors, Family members from Germany and the U.S., Soldiers from the 1-4 Infantry Regiment, and many community members came to the street dedication to honor the memory of Capt. Mark A. Garner.

Garner, a native of State Road, North Carolina, commissioned as a second lieutenant from West Point in 2002. He served a distinguished military career with 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, at Fort Liberty (then Fort Bragg), North Carolina. He married Nickayla Myers of Jonesville, North Carolina, in 2004, and the two moved to Hohenfels where Garner served as the battalion S-4 and B Co. (Blackfoot) commander for 1-4 Infantry Regiment. Garner died when a roadside bomb detonated against his vehicle July 9, 2006 in the Zabul province of Afghanistan. His company supported the UN International Security Assistance Force as part of Task Force Zabul under operational control of the Romanian army. Petty Officer 2nd Class Tony Michael Randolph, a U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal specialist from Henryetta, Oklahoma, was also killed because of the explosion.

While in Hohenfels, he volunteered with the Hohenfels Community and Spouses Club, was active in the Family Readiness Group, participated in the Army Family Action Plan, and attended German military meetings as a military liaison. He regularly provided English-language tours of the Parsberg castle museum.

Nickayla Myers-Garner, Garner's spouse, continues to serve the Hohenfels community as the school liaison officer. She and Garner's sister Rachel Heiner and his brother-in-law, Dr. Mark Heiner were in attendance. The ceremony took place on the street being dedicated, which connects Calloway Drive with Warrior Way and separates the 1-4 Inf. Regt. headquarters building and Warrior Field.

Col. Kevin A. Poole, who until recently served as commander of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, was a professional colleague of Garner in the 1-4 Inf. Regt.

"All that I can remember, all that carries over to this day, is that smile," said Poole. "In all the interactions I had with him - all the training experiences, live observations of him as a great warrior, a great trainer, an excellent leader and a commander - all I can remember is that smile.

"Mark, it's been a privilege and an honor to serve beside you," Poole continued.

Col. Pongpat (Deck) Piluek, the chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, traveled from France to take part in the ceremony. Both Piluek and Garner served as company commanders at 1-4 Inf. Regt., and he enjoyed a close friendship with the Garners.

Piluek learned of Garner's death when by chance he saw 1-4 Inf. Regt. leadership and the chaplain with Nickayla Garner at the airport.

"My heart sunk," Piluek said. "When I approached you, Nickayla, as you recall, I could no longer contain my emotions when you uttered the words, 'Mark's gone.' I cried with you in front of the whole world traveling through the airport that day. Nothing else mattered."

Piluek was reminded of the others whose sacrifices were honored with similar dedications, such as Cpl. Isaiah Calloway, Spc. Marlon Jackson and Maj. Brian Mescall, who have streets dedicated to their memory, and Sgt. Rodney J. Harris, who has a fitness center named after him.

"A day will come when we will no longer be here, but the legacy of Mark and others from the warrior battalion will be remembered through acts such as this," Piluek said.

Col. (retired) Greg Cannata, director of the Family Life and Faith Formation at Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church, served as the battalion S3 when deployed with Garner in Afghanistan.

Cannata recalled how Garner, on July 6, 2009, had opportunities to travel by plane but preferred traveling with a convoy so he could be with his Soldiers. He also read the letter Myers-Garner wrote to her fellow military spouses in the Blackfoot Family Readiness Group two days after Garner's death.

"'Mark was so proud of your husbands and what they are doing for the country and freedom,'" Cannata said, quoting Myers-Garner. "'Ladies, he loved your husbands. I know they have done an outstanding job, and I do not regret the time Mark spent with your husbands, as I do not regret the time I spent with all of you.'"

Sgt. Travis Daddato, an observer controller / trainer with the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, served with Garner in Bravo Company. Daddato was a private at the time he joined B Company, and Garner sought him out immediately to welcome him.

"Something I've always admired about Captain Garner was his approachability and going out of his way to make me, a private, feel seen and welcomed in the company," said Daddato. "He was always out there to share the burden and danger when he didn't have to.

"A year does not pass where I do not think about his leadership and his sacrifice," Daddato continued.

Following the spoken remarks, Poole; Myers-Garner; Heiner; and Angela Lane, deputy garrison manager - Hohenfels, unveiled the street sign for the newly dedicated CPT Mark Garner Street.

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