ANAHEIM (CBSLA) — Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez cherished all issues Star Wars and was a daily customer to Disneyland since he was a younger youngster, even gaining the nickname “Hunter Pooh.”
(credit score: Disneyland)
So when Disneyland officers obtained phrase that the household of the younger Marine, who was among the many dozens killed in an Aug. 26 bombing in Afghanistan, had been headed for the park to construct a brand new lightsaber to be buried with him, they jumped into motion.
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A household good friend organized for the household to construct the lightsaber privately at Savi’s in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, adopted by lunch on the membership restaurant, Membership 33, the place the Lopez household arrived to seek out 13 glasses of champagne had been lined up in tribute to all 13 service members who had been misplaced within the assault. Throughout their lunch, they had been additionally offered with Disneyland’s personal American flag in a body and with a plaque.
“I mentioned, ‘Your son’s sacrifice means the world to our nation and in addition to us at Disneyland, it’s our honor to provide you this token of our appreciation,’” recounted Dan Hughes, vp of safety at Disneyland.
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(credit score: Disneyland)
Lopez had constructed his lightsaber at Disneyland in November of 2019, and had informed his dad and mom earlier than he deployed that, if the worst ought to occur, he needed to be buried with it.
“However I simply couldn’t discover the braveness to half with the lightsaber he constructed,” Alicia Lopez informed Disneyland officers. So the household went to the park simply six days after he died to construct a brand new lightsaber – a duplicate of the one Hunter Lopez constructed, assembled by his whole household, to be buried with him.
Disneyland is called the Happiest Place On Earth, so mourning a cherished one shouldn’t be typically a part of the Disney expertise.
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“Disneyland is all about celebration and happiness, so it’s not usually that we see or hear this in our work,” Membership 33 Common Supervisor Luke Stedman mentioned in an announcement. “However on this divisive world, once we can all come collectively and assist one thing so significant, it’s a reminder of how a lot pleasure our forged can soak up what this implies to individuals.”
