On July 10, 2017, a KC-130T Hercules aircraft of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) crashed in Leflore County, Mississippi, killing all 16 people on board. Aleah’s father, William (Billy) Kundrat, was killed alongside his brothers in this tragic crash. Her 5th grade class was asked to do individual final projects this year. Aleah decided that she wanted to #saytheirnames and tell her classmates about her courageous father and his fifteen other brothers that died that day.
She wants to remind everyone that these men are more than just the names that they see on the news. She wants people to #saytheirnames. Here is a personal message from Aleah Kundrat about the meaningfulness of Memorial Day weekend for her:
In our house, we remember and talk about my Dad every day, but Memorial Day is a day that everyone can remember him and all the people that have died serving our country. Some people think it’s a sad day, but to me it’s just the opposite. People don’t talk to me about my Dad normally, but on Memorial Day everyone opens up and it’s okay to them. I wish they knew that they could talk about him any time they wanted with me. I’ve heard a lot of other families say that they feel the same way. I hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day and can share happy, funny, or rad stories of people they have lost because of the war. I’m so proud of my Dad and everything he did for me, my family, and our country!
We honor Aleah’s wishes and ask that everyone honor it too: #Saytheirnames and enjoy a Happy Memorial Day weekend.
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