Daughter misses funeral of military dad

AUSTIN (KXAN) - For Natasha Mulkey, a huge reality set in after getting word that her daughter's father was killed while on duty in Afghanistan.

"It just seemed so surreal at the time," Mulkey said. "It was hard. I think I ran through a hundred different ways to tell her, and how I was going to do it."

Mulkey brought her daughter to Mayfield Park near Camp Mabry to tell her the news that no parent ever wants to tell a child: Her father was gone.

"We walked around," Mulkey said. "We sat at this very bench, and I said I have some news about your dad, and I think she already knew."

Nadia, 13, had to pack her bags quickly to make her flight to her father's funeral in Michigan. But once at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, a bomb threat was called in on her plane, forcing her to miss the ceremony.

"I came all the way there, just to be told, 'Hey, you are not going to be able to go to your dad's funeral,'" said Nadia Hansen.

It was more bad news for Nadia, but Nadia found a way to turn the situation around. She decided she would raise the money to memorialize her father with a bench inside Mayfield Park.

Now Nadia Hansen is hoping a bench will bring the community together. She's raising money to bring it together. If you want to donate, go to her website.