Soldiers at Lake Garda commemorate 10th Mountain tragedy and Col. Darby’s death in WWII

NAGO-TORBOLE, Italy – A warm spring breeze from Lake Garda filled Piazza Santa Maria al Lago as U.S. Army Soldiers stood in dress uniforms holding American and Italian flags.

Nearby, a crowd gathered near monuments that honor the tragic deaths of Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division and Col. William O. Darby, who founded the first battalion of U.S. Army Rangers.

Among them was 2nd Lt. Mason Patnoude, from 10th Mountain Division, who said he felt honored to wear the same patch as troops who fought near Lake Garda.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Patnoude said. “There is so much honor to wear the same patch and to know that we are following in the footsteps of the leadership that fought here.”

Exactly 80 years ago, on April 30, 1945, Darby and Sgt. Maj. John “Tim” Evans, were killed by a German shell near the Hotel Geier in Torbole. Col. Scott Horrigan and Command Sgt. Maj. Ricardo Moreno, the command team from U.S. Army Garrison Italy, helped unveil a new plaque on the spot where they died.

On that same day in WWII, a DUKW amphibious vehicle sank with 25 men aboard. All but one of those who drowned were from the 10th Mountain Division. Only one Soldier survived. Soldiers from USAG Italy and 10th Mountain Division joined Italian officials on a boat over the exact site where the DUKW now rests under more than 200 meters of water.

They presented a wreath while a bugler performed “Il Silenzio,” which is similar to Taps. The wreath drifted slowly away. A young man, wearing an Alpini hat, sang a somber Italian song that’s reserved for when people die in mountains. As his song echoed across the water, they carried the legacy, gratitude, and enduring truth how courage never truly fades.

At the end of WWII, the 10th Mountain Division fought retreating Germans in this picturesque area at the foothills of the Alps, near the Brenner Pass. Most hostilities had ended by April 30. The Germans in Italy surrendered to the Allies on May 2.

Each April 30, U.S. military members and civilians take part in a 40-mile road march – a grueling challenge that honors Darby and the fallen 10th Mountain Soldiers.

For 1st Sgt. Brian Hayman, Company A, 2nd Ranger Battalion, it was his second time in Torbole, to run the 40-mile event and take part in commemorations. In all, 25 Rangers from across the U.S. attended the events. Standing on the spot were Darby and Evans died, then hiking to the German position where the round was fired, puts things into perspective, Hayman said.

“In our organization, we always remember our fallen, the Rangers,” Hayman said. “Seeing this continuing 80 years later, it’s honorable.”

During the main ceremony, in Piazza Santa Maria al Lago, Soldiers from the 207th Military Intelligence Brigade served as a color guard while paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade were wreath bearers. The Soldiers, civilians and historians from the Associazione Benach then came together to share in a solemn vow – never forget.

For one man, Giovanni Sulla, the 80th anniversary events are the culmination of a lifetime of work. Since 2002, he’s volunteered to memorialize the fallen Soldiers and identify the DUKW. It was finally found in 2012.

“Today, here we are, remembering these young men, remembering a tragic moment in our history, but also celebrating the friendship, the commitment, the pride of all the people who took part in this recovery,” Sulla said. “Above all, it’s about uniting the history of two peoples—the Italian and the American—and, more broadly, all of Europe. We hope this also inspires a future of peace.”