LAKELAND, Fla. — A natural leader. A friend to many. A passionate member of the U.S. Army. That’s how Major Cody Khork was remembered during a Wednesday ceremony at Florida Southern College.
Khork, a 35-year-old Army officer and 2014 graduate, was killed in a drone attack during the opening phase of the war with Iran.
WATCH: Florida Southern honors fallen grad Major Cody Khork as family reflects on his legacy
Family, friends, fellow service members, and veterans gathered at Florida Southern in Lakeland to honor his life, leadership, and service.
Khork began his military career through the ROTC program at Florida Southern, then served around the world.
“This ROTC program is what helped form him into the man and the leader he became, and the soldier he became,” said his stepmother, Stacey Khork.
His father, James Khork, said Khork had a natural ability to lead.
“He had the ability to perceive what needed to be done, and he could act on it and have other people follow him naturally when he did it,” he said.
Khork’s family said they have been overwhelmed by the support they’ve received and by the number of lives their son touched.
They also said they hope his death will not discourage others from serving, but instead inspire the next generation to step forward and lead.
“No parent wants to think of the death of their child. You don’t. You naturally don’t. God made us that way,” Stacey Khork said. “But the freedoms that you experience in this country — and this country founded off purely what we’re doing right at this moment … are because parents took that sacrifice and that chance and let their children do something that’s bigger than themselves.”
Florida Southern has also created an ROTC scholarship in Khork’s name to support future cadets and carry on his legacy.
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