Sanders wanted to become a paratrooper and joined the Army in September 1965 after graduating from Olney High School. The 19-year-old specialist four, a rifleman and automatic weapons specialist, was sent to Vietnam and was assigned to Company C of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade. Sanders died on Nov. 19, 1967, while dragging wounded comrades to safety when his unit came under heavy fire. A box of dinnerware Sanders had bought in Thailand for his family as a Christmas gift arrived home four days after his death. Sanders was survived by his parents and a sister.