WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — Zachary Galli was a beloved son, older brother to two siblings and a partner to his long-term girlfriend. He grew up playing soccer, with a keen interest in sports medicine.
Later joining the Army, 1st Lt. Zachary Galli is remembered by many for always excelling in what he did. This includes his time training as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal technician.
Galli took part in the ROTC program while studying sports medicine at the University of Virginia, graduating in 2022. At EOD training, Galli would attain the rare designation of “unicorn,” after passing every single test on the first try.
“He was always trying to strive to do better, be better,” his father Mike Galli said.
On May 11, Galli died after a training incident in Fort Johnson, Louisiana at the age of 23.
WAVY spoke with his parents after a military memorial service for Galli on Thursday, May 30 in Fort Carson, Colorado, where Galli primarily served.
At the service, a friend of his said, “Zach was a man that would always rise to the occasion with no hesitation whatsoever. Zach was so determined to learn, and to be the best EOD tech he could be.”
“This has been a recurring nightmare that that nobody should have to endure.” Mike described. “I worry about my wife’s feelings, my kids feelings. He’s got two younger siblings. He had a very steady girlfriend… They were making future plans.”
In addition to his father Mike is also survived by his mother Gail, his younger brother Joshua, his younger sister Abigail — and his long-term girlfriend, Haley Mae Claflin. Mike said this has been especially difficult for her.
While in college, Galli was a part of Chi Alpha. We spoke with his mentor, Matthew Houff — who said faith played a big role in his life.
“He was this kind of approachable guy,” Houff recalled. “He didn’t ever seem like he was, you know, some high, mighty person who was doing great things. He just kind of seemed like anybody else, which I think goes to show his kind of humility.”
Galli was laid to rest by his family in Williamsburg just days before Memorial Day. The family told 10 On Your Side several hundred people attended the service at a packed church. His parents said many of them were friends of Galli — who they never even met before. His family was stunned by just how many people Galli impacted throughout his life.
“It is extremely touching though for this outpouring of support that we’ve gotten as a family,” Mike said. “I mean, some high school friends that that we didn’t even know are coming up from way out of state halfway across the country, to pay their respects to him and hearing the stories that they would share with us that we had no idea about.”
“The church was full because he had done so much for all those people and he had done if he could fill one church in 23 years of life, then you can only imagine how many churches full of people he could impact, if he had a longer life,” Houff said.
His mother Gail told us, “There’s a line in the sand for May 11, 2024… and life will never be the same.”
The training incident that led to his death remains under investigation, with few details released to the public.