UT Cadets Honor Fallen Soldier With Hero Workout

Nearly 200 participants took part in the TPT 9000 Memorial Workout in memory of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, killed at Kabul's airport in 2021.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Military

Wide view of an empty campus training field at dawn with steel sleds and kettlebells on the grass and rolling green hills beyond. — University of Tennessee ROTC cadets held a memorial workout in Knoxville on Saturday honoring Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, who was killed at Kabul's airport in 2021. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

University of Tennessee ROTC cadets held the TPT 9000 Memorial Workout in memory of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. Nearly 200 people took part in the event, which was led by Capt. Bryan Jones.

Why it matters

The workout honors Knauss, who was 23 when he and 12 other U.S. service members were killed in an attack at Abbey Gate in Kabul in 2021 while helping evacuate people from Afghanistan. It is also intended to give cadets perspective on the responsibilities they will take on when they commission.

The workout consists of a one-mile run followed by 100 burpees, 200 kettlebell swings and 300 squats, all performed for time. Nearly 200 people took part, but the source does not report individual or team finishing times.

The players

Ryan Knauss

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss was a soldier from Corryton, Tennessee, who was killed in the 2021 attack at Kabul's airport while helping evacuate people from Afghanistan.

Bryan Jones

Capt. Bryan Jones led the University of Tennessee ROTC cadets during the memorial workout.

The details

Cadets from the University of Tennessee ROTC program performed the workout in Knoxville, a format they have used in past years to honor Knauss. Several teams competed to see which could finish the workout fastest.

2021: Knauss was killed in an attack at Kabul's airport.
Monday, November 9, 2026: UT ROTC cadets held the hero workout.

Military Memorial Tradition

Military commemorations such as the TPT 9000 workout continue a tradition of honoring service members killed in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing, which took 13 U.S. lives during the final U.S. evacuation from Kabul. Events like this one keep the names of those killed in that attack connected to the training of the next generation of officers.

For Knoxville residents, the event offers a visible reminder of the University of Tennessee's ROTC program and the service of its cadets. Readers interested in military service can see how commissioning cadets train for the responsibilities they will face.

The takeaway

The memorial workout shows how military training programs can keep the memory of fallen service members present for new officers preparing to commission. Its focus on shared effort and endurance reflects the responsibilities cadets will carry into their service.