LAKELAND, Fla. — A solemn procession moved through Lakeland to honor the life and service of Major Cody Khork, drawing community members to the streets near Florida Southern College, where he once studied and built the foundation of his military leadership.
Khork, a graduate of the college’s ROTC program, was remembered as his remains were escorted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office along with several partnering agencies. The procession began at Lakeland Linder Airport and concluded at Oak Ridge Funeral Care, in Winter Haven where loved ones and community members gathered to pay their respects.
Watch report from Rebecca Petit
The 35-year-old was one of six service members killed in a drone strike in Kuwait on March 1. Khork enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 and later commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014. During his military career, he deployed to Saudi Arabia, Cuba, and Poland.
Friends and community members told Tampa Bay 28 reporter Rebecca Petit, his legacy extends far beyond his service record.
“He was truly one of a kind. He would give you the shirt off his back. He’d go out of his way to help anybody. He was always there to listen and lift people up,” said childhood friend Chase Smith.
Others reflected on the broader sacrifice made by service members.
“They died to make us free. We live in a free country, free country. You can live the way you want to. I can live the way I want to, because men; boys have died for that,” said Robert Frey.
Major Khork has been posthumously promoted to honor his dedication and sacrifice.
His impact will continue to be felt through a new ROTC scholarship established in his name at Florida Southern College. The scholarship will support cadets pursuing military service, covering tuition, room, and board each year for an outstanding junior or senior in the program.
Khork’s family says they hope those who receive the scholarship will carry forward the same values he lived by, service, leadership, and commitment to others.
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