Gold Star parents urge Americans to recognize those who 'wrote a check out for their lives' in the military

This is part 4 of Fox News Digital's Freedom Isn't Free series honoring America's fallen heroes.

Gold Star parents and retired law enforcement officers Alicia and Herman Lopez started a foundation in their son's name for the next generation of Marines.

Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, was killed in action on Aug. 26, 2021, alongside 12 other American service members in Kabul during the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Both Alicia and Herman Lopez reflected on what the expression "freedom isn’t free" means to them after the life, service and sacrifice of their son in an interview with Fox News Digital.

"I just really want people to take a minute and think of their freedom and their barbecues that they have and realize that there's men and women out there who signed that dotted line and wrote a check out for their lives. And some of those checks were cashed," said Alicia Lopez.

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Cpl. Hunter Lopez, USMC, was killed in action in Afghanistan on Aug. 26, 2021. He was 22 years old. (Alicia Lopez)

"I think it's important for people to remember that they're not catchphrases. They're not, to us," Herman Lopez said. "They mean a great, great deal. And it's not only to us 13 families, it's to everyone that served, this country from its beginnings … there's people deployed right now that are protecting this country."

"… there's men and women out there who signed that dotted line and wrote a check out for their lives. And some of those checks were cashed."

— Alicia Lopez

"And even though our sons and daughters paid that ultimate sacrifice, there's a lot of other sacrifice that comes along with just military service day in and day out: being away from family, the financial hardships, just the challenges of travel, everything that comes along with being in the military," he added.

Hunter Lopez was born on Jan. 15, 1999, and raised in Indio, California. Alicia Lopez described Hunter as "a very old soul" who "knew what he wanted in life."

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 "I think it's important for people to remember that they're not catchphrases. They're not, to us. They mean a great, great deal."

— Herman Lopez

Hunter turned 18, graduated from high school and took the summer to enjoy time with friends and family before starting boot camp in September 2017. His parents described Hunter's discipline as well as his commitment to readiness and physical fitness as keys to his success in the Marine Corps.

Cpl. Hunter Lopez was someone who made others around him better, according to his father, Herman Lopez. (Alicia Lopez)

"He loved to just be prepared and make his Marines around him the best they could be. After his passing, we've learned a lot of stories about how he helped his junior Marines with a lot of things. Not only things that were military related but some of their personal issues that they had with finances or their family and stuff like that," Herman Lopez said.

After boot camp, "[Hunter] immediately went to Virginia, where he joined the fleet anti-terrorism team and was there for two years. He served two tours, one in Cuba and one in Jordan. And he did tours on the boat, which is called the MEU," his mother said.

"From there, he was then stationed at Camp Pendleton. He was transferred to Camp Pendleton where he was stationed with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. And this would have been his last deployment, and he deployed to Bahrain. And from there he was sent to Afghanistan," she added.

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Cpl. Lopez was sent to Kabul in the waning days of the American occupation of the war-torn country in August 2021.

"Aug. 15 was the last Zoom call we had with Hunter," his mother said. "And that was to tell us that he was thinking of us and to just watch the news, is what he said. We did see that he was very tired during the Zoom call, and he was very anxious to go and help his fellow brothers and sisters who were already there in Kabul."

Hunter's father added, "He spoke of things that he saw happening to the Afghan women and children out there. And I think that drove a lot of these guys, our Marines, our sons and daughters, to step up even more so. They were there on a humanitarian mission."

Hunter Lopez was close with his family, with mother Alicia persuading him to take the summer before boot camp off.

"And I think it's important for people to remember that there's thousands and thousands of people that their lives have been forever changed because of what these brave men and women did, and in my opinion, above the call of duty."

After Hunter's death in Kabul on Aug. 26, 2021, donations poured in from across America to the Lopez family. Alicia and Herman chose to turn their grief into gratitude, starting the Hunter Lopez Memorial Foundation that same year.

"And I think it's important for people to remember that there's thousands and thousands of people that their lives have been forever changed because of what these brave men and women did, and in my opinion, above the call of duty."

— Herman Lopez

"We started the foundation within three months of Hunter's passing," Alicia said. "The whole nation, everybody from California to New York, everybody had been raising money for us and sent us, you know, a few dollars here and there and said, ‘Hey, this is to help' with whatever it is that we needed. And my husband and I decided that we couldn't use that money and that we needed to give it to somebody that could use it. And we decided to start his foundation."

The Hunter Lopez Memorial Foundation donates scholarships, sponsors families to attend Marine Corps Recruit Depot graduations, and it has sponsored four service dogs for veterans so far.

Cpl. Lopez is buried in California at Riverside National Cemetery.

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Herman Lopez reflected on one of Hunter's best qualities: "He took time to make other people around him better. And that's always something that we all miss very much."