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Fallen soldier from Beloit remembered

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Tyler Kreinz

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Photo by David Brazy

A member of the Patriot Guard Riders holds a flag outside the visitation for Tyler Kreinz at Beloit Memorial High School.

BELOIT — If you were looking for Tyler R. Kreinz, the last place you would find him would be sitting in front of the television.

Kreinz, 21, loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. Billie Sharp, his aunt, said he would hunt for all sorts of animals.

“He would hunt everything from squirrels up to deer,” Sharp said. “He was always searching for that big buck.”

Even when he was not hunting, Kreinz was active, Sharp said. He enjoyed kickboxing, where he was undefeated in matches, and playing other sports, such as football and baseball.

Sharp said her nephew was a calm man who did not smoke, did not drink until he was 21 and got good grades.

Kreinz of Beloit died in the Uruzgan Province of Afghanistan on June 18. He was a U.S. Army specialist and a tanker, serving with the U.S. Army’s 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, of the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team based in Baumholder, Germany. Three other soldiers died when the vehicle the four were riding in rolled over.

A visitation was held for Kreinz on Thursday at Beloit Memorial High School. A private funeral service is scheduled today.

The family is planning on establishing a memorial in Kreinz’s name at a later date.

Sharp said Kreinz made everyone in his family smile.

“Ever since Tyler was little, he was a wonderful boy,” Sharp said. “And he became a very brave man.”

Cale Finder said he worked as a bus boy with Kreinz at the Gun Club Restaurant a few years ago. Finder said Kreinz was an all-around nice guy.

“He would be quiet at first, but once you started talking to him, he was really friendly,” Finder said. “He was always a good looking guy too.”

Bryan Atkinson said he would see Kreinz when he came back on leave from the Army. Kreinz always wanted to be in the Army growing up, Atkinson said. The 9/11 attacks convinced Kreinz he wanted to serve his country, and he could not be talked out of it.

He followed through with his goal after graduating from Beloit Memorial High School in 2008. Kreinz went to basic training at Fort Knox, Ky.

After finishing his service in the Army, Kreinz planned to attend college at UW-Stevens Point and become a conservation warden.

“He would have gone on to do great things,” Sharp said. “I’m so proud of him.”