Dr. Kevin P. Wallace
Van of Valor
WAYCROSS, Ga. – March 28, 2025 – The journey of the Van of Valor is not about miles, but about memory. This week, the inspirational Van of Valor, dedicated to fallen U.S. service members, arrived in Waycross, Georgia, on a solemn mission: to walk in the footsteps of Army Reserve Sgt. Kennedy Landon Sanders and document how her hometown keeps her legacy alive.
For two days, the team behind the Van of Valor immersed itself in the community, visiting the newly named Kennedy L. Sanders Way, a vibrant mural painted in her likeness, the street where she grew up, and finally, her gravesite. The visit, part of the van’s national mission to collect and share the stories of those killed in service, focused on the 24-year-old horizontal construction engineer who was killed in a drone attack in Jordan on Jan. 28, 2024.
“We travel to the communities that raised these heroes because that is where their stories are most vividly preserved,” said Lauren Wallace, cofounder of the Van of Valor and a practicing anthropologist and history graduate student at Harvard University. “In Waycross, Kennedy’s story isn’t history. It’s present. It’s etched on the streets and in the hearts of her neighbors.”
Sgt. Sanders, a 2019 graduate of Ware County High School, was serving with the 718th Engineer Company in support of Operation Inherent Resolve when she was killed alongside two other Georgia soldiers. Her death sent waves of grief through this small city, a grief that has since solidified into permanent tribute.
A Community’s Living Memorial
The Van of Valor’s tour began with these public acts of remembrance. On a main thoroughfare, a striking mural depicts Sgt. Sanders’s face, a testament to the woman whose obituary described her as a “virtuous woman” whose worth was “far above rubies.” Just a short distance away, a new street sign marks “Kennedy L. Sanders Way.”
Wallace noted that such tributes are powerful forms of collective memory. “Street art and renamed streets transform private grief into public language,” she said. “They tell every passerby that this was a life of consequence. It’s the community asserting that she belonged to them, and they will not let her be forgotten.”
The reminders are subtle but pervasive. Faded purple ribbons—her favorite color—still cling to trees and lampposts, a quiet echo of the profound loss. Community members often referred to Sgt. Sanders, who had O-positive blood, as a “universal donor in all ways,” a nod to her constant willingness to give to others.
From Hometown Streets to a Global Conflict
The journey then turned to the personal spaces of Sgt. Sanders’s youth. The Van of Valor parked on the quiet, residential street where she was raised. It was here that the narrative of a soldier folded back into the story of a local girl who dreamed of serving her country.
The ordinary backdrop of her family home stood in stark contrast to the distant conflict that claimed her life, highlighting the humble origins of national sacrifice.
The pilgrimage culminated at the cemetery where Sgt. Sanders is buried. The team observed a moment of silence at the gravesite, a site that represents the ultimate cost borne by her family, including her parents and her twin brother, to whom she was born just one minute apart.
“Visiting the gravesite grounds our work in the human cost,” Wallace said, her voice softening. “We talk about legacy and honor, but here we are confronted with the raw, personal loss. It’s a humbling reminder that our mission is about people—about Kennedy and a family that will forever feel her absence.”
The dignified transfer of Sgt. Sanders’s remains at Dover Air Force Base in early 2024 was an event that U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), who attended, said would be “etched in my memory forever.” The Van of Valor’s visit served a similar purpose for the community: a national entity bearing witness to their local pain and pride.
As the Van of Valor prepared to leave Waycross, its mission was affirmed. The team collected not just facts, but the essence of a legacy defined by service, kindness, and a sacrifice that continues to unite a community.
“Kennedy Sanders’s legacy is one of selfless service,” Wallace concluded. “But here in Waycross, it’s also a lesson in unity. By honoring her, this town honors every service member and the families who support them. They are healing by holding their hero close.”
The van departed, carrying the story of Sgt. Kennedy Sanders forward, ensuring the valor nurtured on the streets of Waycross is remembered across the country.
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