WAYCROSS, Ga. — A 24-year-old soldier from Georgia, killed in a drone strike, returned home on Wednesday.
A procession for Sergeant Kennedy Sanders was held from Jacksonville to Waycross.
Her body arrived at the Jacksonville International Airport around noon, and was escorted down Lem Turner to Callahan. From there, the procession traveled from US-1 until it reached a Waycross funeral home.
Along the way hundreds of people lined the streets, some with balloons, some with signs, all giving their thanks to this hero.
“We’re going to miss her," Barbara Blount, who knows the family, said.
The crowd was silent and respectful as the remains of Sgt Kennedy Sanders passed by. Many from this small town in Georgia knew the 24-year-old soldier.
“This has been very hard for our community and Kennedy actually was the driver for one of my kids that rides horses. I know her mom is going to miss her and the whole community is going to miss her," Blount said.
The procession traveled 65 miles from the Jacksonville International Airport to Waycross, Ga.
It passed through many other towns and with onlookers wearing purple, the color chosen as a gesture of remembrance.
The same color as the balloons sent into the sky as her body passed.
“The support that we see here this afternoon in Waycross is incredible," Robert Brown, an Air Force Veteran, said.
The Sanders Family was at the funeral home, seen holding signs and wearing shirts adorned with Kenndy’s smile.
To ensure her sacrifice is never forgotten, the Waycross Mayor has designated June 30 as Kennedy L. Sanders Day.
“Even though we’re going through a time of sudden it was almost like a celebration of people coming together," Mayor Michael-Angelo James of Waycross, said.
Funeral services are set to begin Friday with a viewing at the city auditorium.
Saturday, there will be a service at the Ware County Middle School auditorium, followed by a burial at Oakland Cemetery.