Final procession for Major Cody Khork travels from Winter Haven to Florida National Cemetery
Maj. Cody Khork buried at Florida National Cemetery
On Monday fallen soldier Major Cody Khork was laid to rest at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - U.S. Army Reserve Maj. Cody Khork was laid to rest at Florida National Cemetery Monday afternoon.
Khork's body traveled in a procession from Oak Ridge Funeral Care in Winter Haven to Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell on Monday morning. The procession was led by a motorcycle escort.
Khork, 35, was killed in an Iranian drone strike on a U.S. base in Kuwait at the beginning of the month. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major.
On Saturday, Khork’s funeral was held at the funeral home in Winter Haven, where there was an outpouring of support and pride from the community.
"Khork was my best friend," Abbas Jaffer, Khork's close friend, said. "My best friend and my brother. I shared things with him that I have never shared with anyone in my life. He was there for me at my lowest points and never judged me."
Khork's friends, fellow service members and family spoke about his character.
"He believed in doing the right thing even if it cost him something," Stacey Khork, Khork’s stepmother said.
They described a man who committed his life to service until the very end.
"In the end, it cost him everything. But hear this - Cody is not defined by how he died," she said. "He's defined by how he lived. He's the one who made you laugh when you needed it the most. The one who showed up without being asked. The one who made people feel like they belong. A leader. Not because of rank, but because people trusted him, because people knew if he Cody was there, everything was going to be okay."
Khork was a 2008 graduate of Lake Region High School.
He went on to serve in the ROTC program at Florida Southern College.
"We're incredibly proud of the Moccasin Battalion at Florida Southern," Florida Southern College's President Dr. Jeremy Martin said. "We've produced nine general officers. We are not the largest school. We have about 2,600 undergraduates, and there are nine general officers who've come out of that program."
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On Monday, Khork's body arrived at Florida National Cemetery to a military service, before a private burial.
Dozens of friends, family and fellow service members came to pay tribute to him.
He will be buried among more than 100,000 service members and veterans.
READ: Fallen Polk County Maj. Cody Khork scholarship raises $75K in days at Florida Southern College
Khork's legacy is already living on through the Maj. Cody A. Khork '14 Endowed ROTC Scholarship at Florida Southern College. It will go to one cadet each year to cover the cost of room, board and educational expenses.
The school says that within days of the scholarship being formally announced, it received more than $75,000 in donations.
Multiple speakers spoke, including Major Khork's friends, family and members of his military family.
They described a man who committed his life to service until the very end.
"He believed in doing the right thing even if it cost him something," said Stacey Khork, Major Khork’s stepmother.
"In the end, it cost him everything. But hear this: Cody is not defined by how he died. He's defined by how he lived. He's the one who made you laugh when you needed it the most. The one who showed up without being asked. The one who made people feel like they belong. A leader. Not because of rank, but because people trusted him, because people knew if he Cody was there, everything was going to be okay," she added.
The Source: Sources for this web article are from information gathered by FOX 13.