By now, more than a month after her son died in the Iran war, Donna Burhans has found a routine that helps her cope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If she sits inside and dwells on his death, she gets too upset. She knows this. So, Burhans goes outside and takes solitary walks around her family\u2019s 35-acre farm in Winter Haven, Florida. She gardens and, in the company of the cows, horses, dogs, cats and pigs that live on the grounds, talks aloud about her son, Cody Khork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re good listeners,\u201d Burhans, 67, said with a laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey sit there, and I start talking to Cody, or I start talking about him. He was a hero. I\u2019m so proud of him. It just helps,\u201d she told NBC News, in her first interview since her son died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khork, 35, was one of 13 Americans killed in the U.S. war with Iran, which has paused while negotiators try to reach a peace deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He died on March 1 \u2014 the second day of the war \u2014 when a drone struck a port in Kuwait. Khork and five other Army reservists died in the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Khork, the Army was a natural fit. His father was a Marine, and he grew up on military bases. Marveling at the air shows and \u201ccrawling\u201d through helicopters parked on the bases, he loved the military life from \u201cDay One,\u201d his mother said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing up, his nickname was \u201cTwig.\u201d He was so skinny he could successfully conceal himself during paintball games by hiding behind a telephone pole, Burhans recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s always been around the uniformed people, so he just loved it from an early age,\u201d she said of the military. \u201cI love that the Army gave him a chance to do what he loves to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khork died as a captain in the Army Reserve and was posthumously promoted to major. He traveled widely as he carried out deployments in Poland, Saudi Arabia and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and, finally, Kuwait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had hoped to someday take a job in the Pentagon, Burhans said, and he left behind a fianc\u00e9e, his first real love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m thankful for that \u2014 that he got to experience true love with a woman,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As with others who\u2019ve lost service members in the war, neighbors have tried to salve some of the family\u2019s grief. A local barbecue restaurant has stepped up to cater some of the events honoring Khork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His alma mater, Florida Southern College in Lakeland, has set up an ROTC scholarship in his memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Certitudes can be a comfort in times of loss. Burhans relies on her faith and on President Donald Trump\u2019s judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTrump knows what he\u2019s doing. He knows exactly what he\u2019s doing, and he\u2019s doing everything the way it\u2019s supposed to be done,\u201d she said. \u201cI have my trust in him and God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She had a chance to speak to Trump last month at what\u2019s called a dignified transfer ceremony in Dover, Delaware. Khork\u2019s remains and those of the five other service members who died in Kuwait were flown home and removed from the plane in flag-draped containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Dover, Burhans told Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that she didn\u2019t want her son to die needlessly and that she hoped they would continue prosecuting the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou could tell when he walked into the room that he was distraught,\u201d she said of Trump. \u201cHe had his head down. And he was just a normal, caring person. He wasn\u2019t the president when he walked into the room. He was just there to tell us how sorry he was.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted him to know that I do not blame him. I do not blame anything that\u2019s happened for my son\u2019s death,” she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She credited Trump for taking military action against an enemy of the U.S. that has been a global menace for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long time coming,\u201d she said. \u201cIt should have been done a long time ago, and Trump is the only one man enough to stand up and do it. They hate America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI told him to finish it,” she added. “I said, \u2018Go get \u2019em.\u2019 This is what my son signed up for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a telephone interview with NBC News on Thursday, Trump spoke briefly about the families of fallen service members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel so badly for those people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n