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This year marks the 20th anniversary since area native Corey Goodnature was killed in June 2005 during a special rescue mission in Afghanistan.

Goodnature and 15 others in a MH-47 Chinook helicopter were responding to a call of a team of Navy SEALS when they came under intense fire in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. All of the others in the helicopter also died, along with all but one of the SEALS they had attempted to rescue.

Goodnature, a pilot for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regimen, was a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army and was the first Minnesotan to die in Afghanistan.

The news of his death undoubtedly hit hard for the Goodnature family and all of the area in the aftermath.

Despite the tragedy of his death, however, Goodnature’s family and many others in the community have taken what happened and turned it into a way to lift the community while also remembering his legacy.

A year after his death, family friend Gary Pestorious came up with the idea to start a memorial golf classic to honor and remember him and to raise money for local students with scholarships in his memory. At that time, the initial committee had six or seven people.

That first year, they expected to raise $5,000 or $6,000 and give out four scholarships.

They ended up raising well over that and to date have given out over half a million dollars in scholarships. This year, they are giving out 15 $3,000 scholarships — nine in Albert Lea, five in Alden-Conger and one in Glenville-Emmons.

The recipients will be recognized at this year’s Corey Goodnature Memorial Scholarship Golf Classic, which takes place on Saturday at Green Lea Golf Course.

If you have a few minutes, we encourage you to head over to join Goodnature’s family, friends and other community members as they remember this fallen soldier 20 years after his passing.

The opening ceremony, planned for 12:30 p.m., will include recognition of this year’s scholarship recipients, as well as the other recipients over the years, and will include a special flyover with the same type of Chinook helicopter Goodnature flew.

We thank the Goodnatures who open their hearts to the community each year at this event and for helping their son’s legacy continue on.

In the midst of the horrible tragedy of Goodnature’s death, the Corey Goodnature Memorial Scholarship Golf Classic has helped many in the community.