DAYTON — Gold Star families got to hear the names of loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice.

A memorial service was held Saturday afternoon on the grounds of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

One of the names called was Paul Zanowick II, but his family and friends knew him as Rocky.

Zanowick was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan in June 2011.

The 23-year-old Miamisburg native wanted to serve after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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Her parents say it’s important to keep saying her name to keep her memory alive.

“I don’t want other people to know how much it hurts, but I also don’t want them to take the freedom they have for granted,” Rocky’s mother Nanette Zanowick said.

The President and Treasurer of the Miami Valley Chapter of the Gold Star Wives of America shared their husbands’ stories.

Their husbands, George King and Arthur Tillman, both served in the Air Force and died of service-related illnesses and disabilities.

Their wives described Saturday’s ceremony as a commemoration of those who have fallen.

“We keep them in our memory so that we appreciate what they did so we don’t forget them,” said Gold Star Wives of America Miami Valley Chapter President Barbara King.

Organizers told News Center 7 it was the first time the event had taken place since the pandemic.

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