KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Dec. 27, 2006, Lance Corporal William C. Koprince, Jr., 24. was killed by an IED explosion while serving in Iraq. Today, his mother continues to remember her son's legacy.
Inside her Knoxville office, Bernice 'Bernie' Koprince is surrounded by images and artifacts linked back to her son. Veteran monuments recognize him as Lance Corporal William C. Koprince, Jr. But to his mom, he was just Billy.
"He was a very happy man," Bernie said about her son. "I had one of the Marines tell me that when it was a stressful situation, he would lighten it up — make a joke or just do something funny."
The Marine, who grew up in Lenoir City, died in an IED explosion. He was 24 years old.
"They were working very hard, very long hours," Bernie said. "The alleyway in which he stepped on the IED, probably 40 other people had walked that same alley, right along that same path."
Since her son's death, Bernie Koprince has worked with other servicemen and women and their families, helping them work through whatever problems or fears they have experienced.
"I got a call from one of his 'battle buddies,' and this guy had been injured as well in the same blast that Billy was killed," Bernice said. "He kept telling me how much he loved me and it was so nice. I'm very concerned for him mentally. He's had quite an ordeal in his life from the PTSD. I stay in contact with him because I want him to stay healthy. I want him to stay well. And that's what my son would want."
Bernice Koprince remembers seeing Billy off to his third deployment in Iraq.
"I could tell he was anxious. You know, he had to drive back himself and so, being the mom, I tried to make it really light on him and not, you know, hang on to him and all that stuff," Bernie said. "Because I knew he was heavy. He had a heavy burden. And then when he got on the road that I called, and I told him that I didn't want to make a big scene for him leaving or us seeing each other for the last time for a while, and he said he understood. I look back on those days, and some days, I wish I just hung on to him and told him he couldn't go."
Today, there are lasting tributes to Lance Corporal William C. Koprince in East Tennessee, including a memorial to him on a local interstate.
"We did I-75 North and South because we're originally from Michigan, and we did it around Lenoir City because we raised the kids in Lenoir City and this way when the people from Michigan make their trek to Florida, as they all do, they will see his sign and know where he grew up," she said.
Bernie Koprince continues to keep her son's legacy alive, not just through things like memorials and highways, but through her family which now includes four grandchildren by her daughter. Her oldest grandchild is named after Billy.
"I'll tell you what, that oldest one looks so much like him that my daughter has done a double take every once in a while when she'll look at pictures," she said.
As the nation marks 20 years since the start of the Iraq War, Bernie Koprince wants to make sure future generations remember servicemembers' sacrifices.
"You know, what I want to tell them is that they should be proud that there are people that are willing to sign that check that says, 'I'll give my life for yours.' And maybe you don't agree with it, but they do. And so you need to support them," she said.