PFC Bruce Carter was the Virginia Gardens war hero who gave his life to save his friends during the Vietnam War.  Today, a ceremony was held at Miami International Airport in honor of PFC Bruce Carter as his remains are being transferred from Miami to Arlington National Cemetery.

Below is the full press release from the office of Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart who was present at the ceremony:

Diaz-Balart Attends Ceremony to Transfer PFC Bruce Carter’s Remains from Miami to Arlington National Cemetery

 MIAMI, FL ­­–– Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) issued the following statement after PFC Bruce Carter’s remains were transferred from Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes, Florida, to the Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The Marine Corps will honor PFC Carter with a Military Funeral Honors ceremony on November 4, 2020, at the Arlington Cemetery, where his body will be laid to rest along with the rest of our nation’s heroes.

“Fifty years have passed, and PFC Bruce Carter’s legacy remains strong,” said Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart. Today serves not only as a tribute to his heroism, but as an important reminder to all that a soldier’s life is always valued, no matter how much time has passed. I thank the Arlington National Cemetery, the Department of the Navy, and my team for their support and assistance in making this happen. I commend PFC Carter’s mother, Georgie Carter-Krell, a Gold Star Mother and a true patriot, who has dedicated her life to preserving and upholding her son’s memory while demonstrating unwavering service to our veterans.”

“We have finally achieved what should have been done 50 years ago,” said Georgie Carter-Krell. “I want to thank Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and his staff for his involvement in making this happen. Semper Fi.”

“PFC Bruce Carter’s actions in Vietnam on August 7, 1969, still inspire us today,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “His Medal of Honor citation said his ‘indomitable courage, inspiring initiative, and selfless devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.’ Finally, this brave Marine is being laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery, where he belongs. I applaud Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart for his attention to this issue, and PFC Carter’s mother, Georgie Carter-Krell, for going above and beyond to ensure her son receives the burial he always deserved.”

PFC Carter served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War in Company H, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, and perished in action on August 7, 1969, in the Quang Tri Province. At the young age of nineteen, PFC Carter put the lives of his fellow soldiers ahead of his own, and, when ambushed, used his own body to shield his men from an enemy grenade. He was buried with Military Funeral Honors on August 25, 1969, at the Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes, Florida. In 1971, for his selfless act of bravery, PFC Carter was posthumously awarded our nation’s highest recognition, the Medal of Honor, by Vice President Spiro Agnew.

During the 110th Congress, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart co-sponsored a bill introduced by Former Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to name the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Miami, Florida, as the “Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.” The facility was officially renamed on Oct. 27, 2008, in honor of this great hero.

 

Theo Karanstalis wrote about the heroics of PFC Bruce W. Carter in The Miami Herald.  Click here to read his story.

 

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