An enduring bond: Parents of Marine shot to death on New Year's Eve 2023 pay it forward
The Floridant/10291896

NAPLES, Fla. - Floridant -- A year after the New Year's Eve shooting death of Zach Ludwig at Port of the Islands, the ex-Marine's family is keeping his memory – and his passion – alive on behalf of a pair of local nonprofits that helped turn the Afghanistan War veteran's life around after he struggled returning to the home front.

Ludwig, 35, was a decorated Marine who served from 2007 to 2011, earning a number of service ribbons and medals. He was killed on Dec. 31, 2023, while working at a hotel's front desk by a former hotel employee who then took his own life. At the time of his death, Ludwig was pursuing a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity from the University of Arizona, while living and working at Port of the Islands, where his parents continue to call home.

Ludwig was also a former resident of Warrior Homes of Collier, which assists veterans in need with housing, mental health support and access to higher education – in his case, the Alpha House for those in recovery.

On Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of Ludwig's death, a crowd of nearly 100 friends, family members and supporters joined Mike and Tammy Ludwig at Warrior Homes' Delta House in East Naples to present a $16,000 check to two groups: Warrior Homes and the David Lawrence Centers, which provides rehabilitative services and other behavioral health care.

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The gift, to be shared equally by the two groups, came from an "Angels for Heroes" campaign that provided solar garden angels to those who donated in her son's honor. More than 500 donors stepped up, Tammy Ludwig said, from individuals to local businesses, an overwhelming show of support far beyond what she envisioned.

"We gather here today not in sorrow, but in love," she said. "Zach was more than our son. He was our hero."

"As hard as war was, nothing could have prepared us for the senseless tragedy that that took his life while he was serving his small community, doing his job," she said.

Like many 21st century veterans, Ludwig struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, friends and family said. After graduating from the county Veteran's Treatment Court in 2022, Ludwig called up Mullin and left a voicemail thanking him for his help.

Warrior Homes of Collier currently operates four residences for local veterans: Alpha House, a short-term, transitional home for those in recovery from substance use disorders; Bravo and Charlie Houses, which serve seniors on fixed incomes who receive rent subsidies (known as supportive housing); and Delta House, a supportive housing complex with 10 apartments for up to 20 veterans, both men and women.