MarineParents Sends 40 Marines to LCpl Cody Haley's Funeral

LCpl Cody Haley was killed in a training accident at Camp Pendleton, CA on August 4, 2017. His mother reached out to us and let us know that it was her wish that his Marine brothers would be there to attend his funeral in Iowa. We at MarineParents.com have always been committed to helping those who sacrifice so much for us. We began our fundraiser on August 8, 2017 with a newsletter asking for donations to help towards her cause. Our original goal was to raise $5,000 to help pay for flights and hotel rooms. We quickly reached our goal, but the donations kept coming in. We raised our donation goal to $35,000 and by August 12 (four short days) we had raised $41,784.

Along with plane tickets for the nearly 40 Marines, hotel rooms and travel from the hotel to the funeral were needed. The funeral took place in Eldora, IA, but the Marines had to stay outside of Eldora in order to find a hotel with enough rooms to accommodate them. We were able to find hotel rooms in towns 20-40 minutes away. Therefore, transportation from the hotels to the funeral was necessary. We hired a chartered bus to transport the Marines from the airport, to the services, to the family home, back and forth to hotels, and back to the airport. The bus driver's first stop was to our corporate office in Columbia, Missouri where we filled the bus with snacks and drinks for the Marines since they would be spending a lot of time on the road. We also sent a package to Kim Haley that included 1000 keychains with Cody's photo, his unit crest, and "In Memory" for the people who attended his services.

The total expenses was $43,633.10. But the gift of over 40 Marines attending Cody's funeral was priceless. Truly.

When situations like this come up, we take on the challenge. The support of Marine Corps family members around the United States was tremendous. The short-time frame for donations and planning travel for the Marines was challenging, but with the help of hundreds of Marine Corps family members across the United States, we united to bring Cody's mom her wish--having his Marine brothers at his services. Mrs. Haley shared with us that the Marines came to their home on both Friday and Saturday evening that weekend for bonfires both nights, to celebrate Cody's life and to share stories of Cody with the family. These treasured stories of Cody as a Marine may never have been told had it not been for bringing the Marines to the little town of Eldora, Iowa; but our Marine Corps families came together to give Cody's family treasured memories of his time in the Marine Corps that will be with them forever.

Thanks to those who helped make this happen. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cody's family. It was an honor to help make this wish come true. God Bless and Semper Family!

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