Army. Capt. Reed Patrick Russell takes a break on Bell Rock in Sedona, Ariz., in a photo posted to Instagram in January 2024. Russell, who died recently during a hike in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was remembered for his sense of humor and kindness by speakers at a memorial in Vicenza, Italy, on May 15, 2025. (Instagram)

VICENZA, Italy — Nearly 200 soldiers packed into the chapel at Caserma Ederle on Thursday to remember an officer in the 522nd Military Intelligence Battalion who died while hiking in Bosnia and Herzegovina last month.

Capt. Reed Patrick Russell was an avid hiker and mountain climber who had a goal of summiting the tallest peak in every country.

Russell, 37, lived for the mountains, speakers at the memorial service said. He climbed more than 400 peaks around the world and even had dog tags made that listed his religion as “the mountains.”

He died April 19 while hiking on Maglic, a 7,800-foot peak in the Dinaric Alps and the highest mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was with his wife, a doctor in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, when he slipped on ice and fell into a deep ravine.

“He will be remembered as someone not afraid of adventure,” said Lt. Col. Richard Smith, commander of the battalion. “He passed doing something he truly loved to do and there is solace in that.”

Smith and others spoke of Russell’s many endearing traits.

“He had an effortless sense of humor,” said Capt. Samantha Rolnick, commander of the 522nd’s Bravo Company. “He could turn an ordinary moment into something unforgettable.”

Army Capt. Reed Patrick Russell stands amid the Swiss Alps in a photo posted to Instagram in March 2025. Russell, who died in April while hiking in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was remembered at a memorial in Vicenza, Italy, on May 15 for his sense of humor and kindness. (Instagram)

In the days after his death, messages poured in from Chad, Ghana, South Korea and other places where people who had worked with Russell.

Originally from Orlando, Fla., Russell graduated from Florida State University before enlisting in the Army as a Korean linguist.

He was stationed at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, and was part of the 2nd Stryker Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state before coming to Vicenza.

Russell is survived by his wife, Mindy Park; his parents, Terri and Chris Russell; his siblings Grant and Hannah; his niece Alyssa and nephew Owen.