More than a month after her son, Maj. Cody Khork, was killed during the opening stages of the Iran war, Donna Burhans has established a quiet routine to manage her grief.
Residing on a 35-acre farm in Winter Haven, Florida, she finds comfort in long walks and speaking aloud to her animals about the man she remembers as a hero. Khork, 35, was one of thirteen Americans lost in the conflict, dying alongside five fellow Army reservists when a drone targeted a port in Kuwait on March 1.
Growing up on military bases as the son of a Marine, Khork was a lifelong admirer of the armed forces—a passion his mother says was evident from his earliest days. Known by the nickname «Twig» for his slender build, he served in multiple international deployments before his final mission in Kuwait. Despite the immense personal loss, Burhans remains unwavering in her support for President Donald Trump’s leadership. During a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, she personally met with the President and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, urging them to stay the course.
Burhans emphasized that she holds no resentment toward the administration, viewing the military action against Iran as a long-overdue response to a global threat. She shared that she told the President to «finish it» and «go get ’em,» convinced that her son died fulfilling his true calling. While the community in Lakeland has responded with support, including an ROTC scholarship established at Florida Southern College in Khork’s name, Burhans continues to rely on her faith and the conviction that the current path is necessary for the nation’s security.