As the Loudon County Sheriff's Office searches for leads in his killing, the soldiers who served alongside Jacob Bishop remember their friend as a natural born leader and a 'true American.'
"Bishop was our friend, he wasn’t just a leader to us, he was our friend. He was our brother," Specialist Jonathan Canniff said. "He was one of the greatest men I've ever met and I have no doubt that I'll see him again."
Bishop's mother found him tied up and shot to death on October 1st. While the Loudon County Sheriff's office said it is still conducting interviews, it has not named a suspect. In appeals to the public, LCSO is asking for tips about a newer model white SUV that may be connected to Bishop's murder.
"People always assume with the way things went down with his death that he was tied up in something bad or he was shady character, which is the farthest thing from the truth," Canniff said.
Bishop, a specialist with the Tennessee Army National Guard, returned from Poland this summer.
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He was one of Staff Sergeant James Kwoka's men.
"He was just one of those guys that could always make you laugh no matter how awful it was outside," Kwoka said. "It could be snowing sideways or absolutely frigid and he would be the one cracking jokes."
Now Kwoka wears a "mourning band" in his honor and has one question for whoever killed him.
"Why? I think that's the biggest and the ultimate question. Why they felt that was necessary. Because Bishop was the type of guy if you asked him, he'd give you the shirt off his back," Kwoka said.
Now the National Guard family he served alongside is remembering Bishop's dedication to his family at home.
"He would stay up until 3 in the morning to talk to his kids," Canniff said. "He would stay up until three in the morning to speak to his now-fiance when we had to be up at 6 o'clock for PT, and that was just the kind of guy he was."