Watch: Celebration of Life service for fallen Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez
Members of the Coachella Valley community and surrounding communities are invited to attend a Celebration of Life service for fallen Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
You can watch the ceremony here:
The Lopez family shared treasured memories with Cpl. Lopez in a touching tribute video. Here are some of the images.
Rep. Raul Ruiz, MD, shared two images of the casket leaving St. Francis of Assisi Church on Saturday morning. Marines carried the casket to the waiting procession. Marine Corporal Hunter Lopez's family followed closely behind.
Our entire nation is forever indebted to United States Marine Corps Corporal Hunter Lopez for his incredible service to our nation. Today, my heart is with the Lopez family, our nation’s Gold Star Families, and all of our courageous servicemembers and veterans.
Rep. Raul Ruiz, (D) - CA 36th District
To accommodate the large number of attendees expected, the memorial service will include large screens so overflow audiences can watch the ceremony.
This will be the last in a series of Coachella Valley events to honor the fallen hero before Corporal Lopez is laid to rest later today at the Riverside National Cemetery.
A public viewing was held at St. Francis of Assisi church in La Quinta on Friday where people gathered to pay their respects to Corporal Lopez.
WATCH: Prayers for Hunter: Cpl. Lopez honored at La Quinta wake
The Lopez family received the remains of the fallen hero on Thursday afternoon. The casket was flown back to the Coachella Valley from the East Coast.
The 22-year-old Indio native was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in a terror attack outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan on August 26.
Another procession took place on Friday, which took Corporal Lopez past the three Desert Sands Unified schools he attended before becoming a Marine: Amelia Earhart Elementary School, John Glenn Middle School, and La Quinta High School.
It was part of a series of events to honor Corporal Lopez's ultimate sacrifice which kicked off on Thursday with a procession from Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Cathedral City.
It went past the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station and ended at St. Francis of Assisi church in La Quinta.
Supporters lined the streets to honor the hero's life, some waving American flags and others holding homemade signs.
Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.
