WAYCROSS, Ga. — The community of Waycross, Georgia held a memorial dinner on Sunday to remember a fallen hero, Sgt. Kennedy Sanders.
Sanders was one of three United States soldiers killed in a drone strike overseas on Jan. 28. She was just 24 years old when she was killed, and had been in the service since 2019.
In February, the mayor of Waycross designated June 30 as Kennedy L. Sanders Day to honor the young hero.
Hundreds of people gathered for a procession that carried her remains over 60 miles from Jacksonville International Airport back to her hometown of Waycross.
Leaders from all branches of the military came for her funeral and she was buried at Oakland Cemetery.
The street her family lives on was renamed in her honor to Kennedy L. Sanders Way.
First Coast News talked to Sanders' family in February about the legacy of the young hero.
"We want this to be something that is continuous throughout our lives so that Kennedy is never forgotten," said Oneida Oliver-Sanders, Sanders' mother.
The proceeds of tickets purchased for this memorial dinner are going to the Sgt. Kennedy L. Sanders Foundation which was started in her honor.