12-Year-Old Becomes Honorary Marine Before Death

A 12-year-old boy from Indiana was granted a final wish before he lost his battle with leukemia. To become a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Cody Green of Lafayette, Indiana, was first diagnosed with leukemia at 22 months of age. He drew both inspiration and strength from the Marine Corps., and was able to fight his cancer into remission three times. Struggling against his disease for what would unfortunately become the final time, Cody was honored by the Marines who made him an honorary member of the United States Marine Corps. Cody even earned himself a pair of navigator wings from the corps which said that Cody had shown “strength and honor and courage” throughout his battle with the cancer.

“They decided Cody, with the strength and honor and courage he showed through the whole thing, he should be a Marine,” said Cody’s father, David Snowberger.

One Marine did even more for Cody. Sgt. Mark Dolfini stood guard at Cody’s hospital door for eight hours the night before he died. “Marines don’t do this sort of thing for acclaim,” explained Dolfini. “If we all just did something like that … just think of what an incredible legacy that would leave for Cody.”

Cody lost his battle when chemotherapy weakened his immune system, causing the cancer to attack his brain. “He never asked ‘Why Me,’ and fought the illness with grace and humility,” reads Cody’s obituary, “never complaining about his treatment or care, saying ‘Thank you,’ to the many health care professionals that cared for him.”