An Enduring Bond

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 December 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. 

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 took his life while he was serving his small community, doing his job,” she said. 

One year later, his lasting impact was on full display. Before the ceremony, an outdoor speaker played a catchy country song - “Days Fly By” - written by Zach Ludwig. A courtyard bench outside Delta House bears a plaque in his honor, as does a newly placed brick in that same courtyard. Tammy Ludwig concluded her remarks by reading a poem written by her son. Throughout, Zach’s five-year-old Siberian Husky, Sammy, sat quietly nearby. 

“As you can see here today, it really does take a community,” said Dale Mullin, a Vietnam War veteran and founder of Warrior Homes of Collier.  

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. 

“I have the utmost respect and appreciation for everything you and your organization do,” Ludwig said in the voicemail.Mullin was so moved he shared Ludwig’s message and saved it for years. 

Warrior Homes of Collier currently operates fourresidences 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. 

Two new units – Echo and Fox Trot Houses – are scheduled to open in the new year. The new properties became available after the Board of County Commissioners unanimously agreed in November to lease the pair of rental homes to the 10-year-old nonprofit.  

With three available beds in each home, the addition of the two new homes to its residential inventory will now allow Warrior Homes of Collier to provide stable housing to 39 brave men and women in the communityResidents pay rent on a sliding scale, but never more than 30% of their income.