Former Naperville resident dies after roadside bombing in Afghanistan

The last place Army Pfc. Gunnar Hotchkin hoped he would get sent after he enlisted was Afghanistan.

Hotchkin was forced to become a soldier to provide for his family after being laid off as a building contractor, said Preston Bokos of Oak Brook, Hotchkin's best friend since childhood.

The 31-year-old former Naperville resident was killed Wednesday, June 16, in a roadside bomb blast that flipped over the armored tank he was riding in.

"It was just devastating," Bokos said of Hotchkin's death. "It was a numbing experience like no other death I've known."

Bokos had known Hotchkin since they were 10 years old. They went through junior high together and were on the swim team at Hinsdale Central High School.

"He was the other half of my brain," Bokos said. "We fueled off of each other."

Though they stayed close through the years, their paths after high school went in completely different directions.

Bokos, 31, continued with his passion for swimming and now owns two sporting goods stores - Urban Tri Gear in Westmont and Burr Ridge.

Hotchkin became a carpenter working for a homebuilder. He eventually rose up the ranks to building foreman but was laid off after the company went under, Bokos said.

To Bokos' surprise, Hotchkin then enlisted in the Army in 2009 at age 30.

"I thought it was a bit nuts at first, but nonetheless he stepped up to the plate and was not going to let his family down," Bokos said. "It was disheartening because he was out of work. At the time no one was hiring any contractors, so it was the last resort to make sure that his family was going to be taken care of, and he always put his family first. He enlisted in the Army so he could put a roof over his children's heads and further his education."

Hotchkin's plan was to wait out the recession in the Army, but he also knew going in that there was a real chance of being sent into active combat, Bokos said.

Hotchkin was deployed to Afghanistan at the end of December 2009, right after Christmas. He returned about five weeks ago and was stationed at the base in Fort Bragg, N.C., where he moved with his family about 10 months ago.

Hotchkin is survived by his wife, Erin, and three children - sons Tristan, 4, and Ethan, 7, and an adopted daughter, Taylor, 10.

Bokos said Hotchkin's best quality was his unmatched charisma.

"He had an unforgettable smile," he added. "He had a leadership quality that he possessed as a young child."

A 1997 graduate of Hinsdale Central High School, Hotchkin was an All-American swimmer who always was supportive of his team, said his former swim coach Tom Schweer.

"When you put him on a relay, he was just that much better because he wanted to support his people," said Schweer, now athletic director at Metea Valley High School in Aurora. "He was taking care of his family. He was taking care of his team in Afghanistan. That's the way he was."

Schweer had coached Hotchkin throughout his four years in high school and also knew his parents.

"It's a pretty tough time right now," Schweer said of dealing with Hotchkin's death.

Schweer said at roughly 5 feet 10 inches Hotchkin's physical presence wasn't commanding, but no one could match up with "the size of his heart."

"If you talk to any of his teammates, they'd all say the same thing ... incredibly funny guy, very hard worker, always there for his teammates," Schweer said.

Though services have not been finalized, visitation for Hotchkin is expected to be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Gibbons Elliston Funeral Home, 60 S. Grant St., Hinsdale. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday in Union Church of Hinsdale, 137 S. Garfield Ave. Burial services will be held at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.