Our hike today was dedicated in honor of:
TODAY WE WALKED FOR A HERO — LCPL MATTHEW KENNA
Today, we had the honor of hiking in memory of Marine Veteran LCpl Matthew Colin Kenna, of Baytown, Texas.
Matthew was only 27 years old when he passed away on January 19, 2020.
Matthew was born in Baytown and graduated from Ross S. Sterling High School, Class of 2010. He continued his education at Lee College and served his country in the United States Marine Corps, with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines.
Marine Corps records and photographs show Matthew serving as an ammunition man with Kilo Company, including during training with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
But Matthew was much more than a Marine.
He was a son, brother, uncle, friend, and someone who loved life. Matthew enjoyed astrophotography, Marvel — especially Spider-Man — traveling, hiking, visiting the Galveston Pier, and longboarding. He was also Catholic in his faith.
Those who knew Matthew remembered him as someone who was always willing to help others. One memorial account also remembers him as someone who cared about his fellow Marines and would check on his friends.
Today, we honored Matthew by doing what he loved — hiking.
We completed 3 hikes today and walked a total of 5.78 miles in Matthew’s honor.
Our hikes took us through Cumberland Mountain State Park, where we walked the Pioneer Short Trail, Pioneer Long Trail, and the Storybook Trail.
The rain this morning didn’t stop us.
It turned into a great day for a hike, and the views were absolutely amazing. Along the way, we even had the opportunity to visit with a Korean War Veteran who was out hiking the trails this morning.
I want to give a special THANK YOU to our Trail Friend Donna for helping us honor Matthew today.
And thank you to everyone who gave us a HONK while we were in the state park. We received 6 honks today! Every honk means something to us because it tells us that people see the names we carry and remember these Heroes with us.
I also want to thank Fallen Hero PV2 Joshua Dommes for helping us honor Matthew today.
Matthew Kenna’s life may have ended far too soon, but his name will continue to be spoken.
His service will be remembered.
His life will be remembered.
And today, his memory walked with us on the trails.
Marine Veteran LCpl Matthew Kenna — YOU WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN! 🇺🇸
3 Hikes • 5.78 Miles • 6 Honks • 1 Hero Remembered
#iWalk4Them
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#OneStepAtATime
#LCplMatthewKenna
#MarineCorps
#NeverForgotten
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#RememberTheFallen
#HonorThem
