NOBLESVILLE — Next month, Logansport native and Marine Corporal Humberto Sanchez will be honored through a memorial golf tournament with a focus on raising money for Marine Corps scholarships.
On September 8, the 27th annual Indiana Golf Tournament for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation will be held in memory of the fallen marine.
“Corporal Sanchez was a unanimous choice for us to honor this year, and we were blessed that his family agreed to allow us to do so,” Kevin Rankle, a committee member of the Indiana Chapter of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, said.
Sanchez was killed in a bombing at Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan last August as the United States pulled out of the country. He is thought to have been helping save children when it happened. Twelve other U.S. military members also died during the bombing.
“The last thing you want is for your loved one to be forgotten and this tournament, certainly, believe me, the focal point of this year's tournament will be Corporal Sanchez, and we will wrap our arms around Coral [Humberto’s mother] and her family, and make her feel welcome and, and honor him in every way we can. But there's also there will be evidence out there of the past 11 honorees,” Rankel said.
For the last 12 years, the memorial golf tournament has honored a fallen Marine with Hoosier ties. The first honoree was Rankel’s son, Sgt. John K. Rankel, who died in combat in in 2010 while serving in Afghanistan. He was 23-years-old.
“My son's legacy, we felt was he wanted to be part of something bigger when he joined the Marine Corps. He also believed a lot in serving others. I believe that's become a part of this group, and continuing to be a part of this group, kind of fulfills his legacy of servant leadership of serving others,” Rankel said.
The money raised at the 27th annual tournament will go towards scholarships for children of Marines to use in post-high school education. The foundation is working towards establishing a scholarship in Sanchez’s name.
“The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is a needs-based scholarship program that has dedicated our mission to honoring Marines by educating their children. One of the best things about the foundation itself is 100% of students or scholars that apply and are eligible, are awarded,” Alissa Weisman, Event Manager with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, said.
“That's gonna live on and on in perpetuity, and in his name, so easy to get behind this mission,” Rankel added.
Weisman said in the latest foundation’s fiscal year, it awarded more than $10 million in scholarships to 2,600 families. She said 40% of those recipients are first-generation college students.
“We have multiple scholarship recipients that would not have even been able to go to college had they not received this scholarship, let alone come out of college without debt,” Weisman said.
To get involved in the tournament, click here. To find the full schedule for the tournament on September 8th at Pebble Brook Golf Club in Noblesville, click here.
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