Collin County will add five memorial portraits to its Hall of Heroes on Monday, Nov. 9, honoring service members who died while serving. The honorees span eras from World War I to the present, including Aiden Craig, the 18-year-old Wylie High School graduate from Murphy who is buried in Allen.

The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Road in McKinney. It is hosted by the Collin County Commissioners Court and made possible through Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2150, according to a Collin County announcement.

The portraits are part of the North Texas Fallen Warrior Portrait Project, founded in 2013 by the late Ronnie "R.D." Foster, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, and Air Force veteran Colin E. Kimball.

The project honors more than 400 known fallen service members from Collin County. As of a June 29 ceremony, the Hall of Heroes held 115 portraits.

Aiden Craig

Craig collapsed Aug. 1 during a physical fitness test while 47 days into Marine Corps recruit training. He died four days later at a hospital in Oceanside, California, according to Wylie News.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego was investigating his death as of August. No cause of death had been released.

Craig graduated from Wylie High School in May 2026 and played defensive end for the Pirates. He recorded 50 tackles during his senior season and earned second-team All-District 9-6A honors.

In coverage published in August, The Dallas Morning News reported that about 150 people gathered at Wylie Stadium on Aug. 21 for a candlelight vigil.

Craig's father, Gregory Brent Craig, described his son as sweet and determined.

 Aiden was actually presented with his with his Eagle, Globe and Anchor, the Marine Corps emblem, on August 3, while he was still alive and hospitalized in California. He passed away two days later.

His father placed the emblem in his hand as First Sgt. Sean Durkee stood beside him. Craig is buried at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen.

Four more honored

Joseph Love Byler, 22, of Plano served as a private in the U.S. Army's 345th Machine Gun Battalion. He deployed to France in June 1918 and fought in the Battle of St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He contracted spinal meningitis on his journey home and died May 30, 1919.

Carl James "Jim" Estep, 20, of Anna was a seaman first class aboard the USS Arizona. He was killed Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor. His remains were never recovered.

George F. Hague, 21, of McKinney served as a waist gunner on a B-17 in the 8th Air Force. He was shot down on his first mission, May 29, 1944, over France. Six crewmen died.

Almond "Al" L. Sellers, 19, was born in Collin County and enlisted in the California National Guard during the Korean War. He was killed March 26, 1952, near Kumsong, Korea, fighting alongside his brother, who was wounded in the same action.

The ceremony is open to the public. For more information, contact [email protected].

Upcoming community events

  • Nov. 9: Fallen Warrior Portrait Installation, 11 a.m., Russell A. Steindam Courts Building, 2100 Bloomdale Road, McKinney