The Disneyland Resort Honors Hunter Lopez With Gift Given to Family

The Disneyland Resort honored Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez, the son of Alicia and Herman Lopez, with a special gift during their trip to build a replica lightsaber their son had built back in 2019.

(Disney)

(Disney)

What’s Happening:

  • Disney Parks Blog has shared the story of Disney magic that happened when Alicia and Herman Lopez, their 18-year-old son, and 17-year-old daughter went to the Disneyland Resort to honor their son, Hunter Lopez, by building a lightsaber.
  • 22-year-old Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez was one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in the attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021.
  • Hunter loved Star Wars and requested to be buried with the lightsaber he built at Disneyland in 2019. To honor Hunter, Alicia and Herman Lopez set off to Disneyland along with their son and daughter to build a replica of the lightsaber Hunter had created, as they couldn’t part with the original and would bury the one built by the entire family with him.
  • A friend of the couple who works for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department helped arrange a private lightsaber building session at Savi’s followed by lunch at Club 33.
(Disney)

(Disney)

(Disney)

(Disney)

  • Club 33 Member Services Coordinator Rex Roberts heard the story and was able to get the American flag that was flying over Disneyland framed and had a plaque created that would be presented to the family as he collaborated with Dan Hughes, vice president of Security at the resort.
(Disney)

(Disney)

  • Club 33 also placed 13 glasses of champagne lined up on the service counter as a tribute to the 13 service members lost.

What They’re Saying:

  • Luke Stedman, Club 33 General Manager: “Disneyland is all about celebration and happiness, so it’s not often that we see or hear this in our work. But in this divisive world, when we can all come together and support something so meaningful, it’s a reminder of how much pride our cast can take in what this place means to people.”

You can read the full story about Hunter and the family’s trip over on the Disney Parks Blog.

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