KERNERSVILLE, N.C. -- As people reflect on the countless men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country on Memorial Day, one Triad family is remembering their son.
Retired Marine Sergeant Lenny Youngblood served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His parents, Harry and Cindy, who live in Winston-Salem, say he was a proud marine and he also suffered from PTSD.
He passed away in September 2016 when he was 30-years-old and when he was taken to his final resting place, he received a hero's ride in HUMVEE military vehicle. His parents wanted to give other Gold star families that same honor for their own loved ones, so they started Hero's Ride. The organization takes military veterans on their last ride from place of service to the graveisde for free.
"To know that he sacrificed his life for us to be able to be what we do what we do is an honor," explains Harry Youngblood. "I made a pledge to him while he was laying there that his life would be carried on and his memory would be carried on through stuff that we do in the future."
At the Memorial Day service at the Carolina Field of Honor, Sgt. Youngblood's parents laid his dogtags on the Fallen Soldier Monument. They say Hero's Ride is a way to keep the legacy of their son's service alive.