Fallen Marine honored during Miami Lakes celebration of American Legion centennial

The American Legion is celebrating its centennial this year, and Post 144 in Miami Lakes marked the occasion with 140 supporters on Sept. 28.
Among the officials who gathered at the Roberto
Alonso Community Center were Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid,
Councilmembers Marilyn Ruano and Luis Collazo, and Miami-Dade
County Commissioner
Esteban Bovo, Jr.
Gary Cardenas, a member of both the American Legion and the town’s Veteran Affairs Committee, said Vietnam veteran Bruce W. Carter was also honored at the event.
Carter was a U.S. Marine, private first class, from the Village of Virginia Gardens in Miami-Dade County who died Aug. 7, 1969 during battle in Vietnam.
President Richard Nixon recognized Carter’s bravery and noted that Carter threw himself upon a grenade to save the Marines around him.
In 1971, Carter was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism, according to the website for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Miami, which is named for him.
Carter’s mother Georgie Carter-Krell accepted a pin that commemmorated her son’s service in the war.
Cardenas, who served in the U.S. Army, said the purpose of the American Legion is to take care of active duty service members as well as veterans.
“We fought on Capitol Hill every day to ensure that our troops not only get the equipment and training they need to fulfill their duties, but also to ensure they are treated properly and receive the benefits they deserve upon returning home,” Cardenas said.