WAYCROSS, Ga. – Dozens of people attended a basketball tournament Saturday morning at Ware County High School to honor a fallen hero.
Sergeant Kennedy Sanders was among three members of an Army Reserve unit who died in a drone strike on a U.S. base in Jordan near the Syrian border in January.
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Sanders’ friends and family gathered at the school to do what she loved to do — play basketball.
With her name flying high above the court, and her picture placed next to the American flag. Sanders’ legacy lives on.
“It really means a lot whenever we can come in this gym and always see a memory of her here,” Oneida Oliver Sanders, Kennedy’s mom, said.
Dozens gathered for the first-ever Sgt. Kennedy Sanders Swamp Classic, a tournament that included eight teams -- and one person in mind.
“She’s probably thinking she wishes she could be playing, she’s gonna break somebody’s ankles and I would’ve hit the shot. She’s definitely thinking that,” Sanders said.
The tournament is raising funds for the Sgt. Kennedy Foundation. A foundation created after Sanders was tragically killed in the line of duty.
“It’s been kind of up-and-down if you can imagine. Her birthday is tomorrow she would’ve been 25 years old so we kind of wanted this to culminate around her birthday so it’s kind of bittersweet,” Sanders said.
Some of her Army comrades even joined in on the action and played in honor of the former member of their unit.
“She probably wishes she could play, but I know she’s going to have these guys back. She’s gonna be on the court with them,” Army Staff Sergeant Jonah Blackledge said.
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And while the players said the goal was to win this tournament, Kennedy’s mom wanted them all to leave the gym with one thing.
“We hope people walk away with the heart and mind of service like Kennedy had we just want people to be able to see that whenever they get back to the community the community goes back to them,” Sanders said.
Kennedy’s mom also said there will be a memorial dinner for her daughter Sunday in honor of her birthday. There will also be a balloon release.