Aiden Craig grew up playing sports in Wylie and putting everything he had into competition. That drive eventually led the Wylie Pirate to pursue another challenge — becoming a Marine.
“He was always an athlete, grew up playing every sport, was good at every sport,” said Aiden’s father, Brent Craig.
Craig said his son wanted to join the Marines because he was drawn to the challenge.
“The Marines, he wanted the one that was the most challenging, and that’s just the way he was,” Craig said.
Aiden was nearing the end of three months of boot camp in California when his family received devastating news.
“And from what I understand, he was in the lead, you know, and that just sounds like Aiden. He wants to be first,” Craig said.
Aiden was just yards from the finish line, and his family had been preparing to welcome him home.
“I was putting some pictures together for him when I got the call, you know, that he went down, it was a medical emergency, we need to get to the hospital now, because he may not make it,” Craig said.
Instead of celebrating his return, the family found themselves saying goodbye.
“And that was the hardest thing, you know, to hold your son’s hand and sit there and tell him goodbye, you know, because they told us he wasn’t going to make it. That’s the hardest thing ever,” Craig said.
As the Marines investigate Aiden’s death, his family has found a way to keep his legacy alive.
The Craig family created a memorial scholarship that will be awarded to an athlete who, like Aiden, gives everything on the field without losing sight of what matters off it.
“Honest, did not like to talk bad about people. Was humble, just tried at everything the best he could and was just being the best at being a good person. Just be like Aiden.”
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.