Lake Mary baseball team honors military hero who died saving comrades from burning vehicle

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Thursday night wasn’t a typical game night for the Lake Mary baseball team.

American flags lined the sidewalk leading to the field. There was a special ceremony honoring Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe before the game.

In front of a packed house with emotional fans, Alwyn’s brother Karlos tossed the ceremonial first pitch.

"The beautiful part, is when we get here, everybody is on the same page," Karlos Cashe said.

Alwyn was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2022 for his hero risk while deployed in Iraq. In 2005, his unit was ambushed. Alwyn pulled his five comrades from their burning vehicle. He caught fire and was badly burned. He was transferred to a hospital in Texas, where he later died from his injuries.

"It’s a great honor to serve. And to serve in the way he did is unbelievable," Lake Mary baseball announcer, Chad Lee said.

Lee helped organize the pre-game ceremony. He says he took a lot of planning to pull everything off. But it was more than worth it.

Alwyn’s family appreciates the love.

"Medal of honor, no medal of honor, we couldn’t have been more proud of him. But as far as his legacy…everybody is on the same page with this," Karlos Cashe said.

Alwyn Cashe wasn’t a student at Lake Mary High School. However, Cashe and the team’s announcer were childhood friends.