Vietnam War Marine awarded Medal of Honor finally buried at Arlington

ARLINGTON, Va. - A 90-year-old Florida woman was on hand last week as her son -- killed in Vietnam and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor -- was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The military ceremony for Marine Pfc. Bruce Carter took place Wednesday with Marines from the Washington Marine Barracks, The Old Guard Caisson Platoon; and “The President’s Own” Marine Band.

The Old Guard Caisson Platoon during the burial of Medal of Honor recipient Bruce Carter at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday. (Elizabeth Fraser U.S. Army/Arlington National Cemetery)

At the end of the ceremony, the American flag that covered the casket was presented to Carter's mother, Georgie Carter-Krell.

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She long believed her son should be buried at Arlington, the nation's most hallowed grounds, with the country's other war heroes.

She worked with the Marine Corps and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Florida, to make it happen, Military.com reported.

Georgie Carter-Krell, seated at right, is presented with American flag at her son Pfc. Bruce Carter's burial at Arlington National Cemetery (Elizabeth Fraser U.S. Army/Arlington National Cemetery)

Carter was killed after throwing himself on an enemy grenade to save the lives of other Marines and had been laid to rest at Vista Memorial Gardens in Miami Lakes, Florida.

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His remains were flown to Washington Oct. 30.

“He deserved to be in Arlington,” Carter-Krell told Fox 7 Miami at Miami International Airport. “He should have been there years ago, but we finally accomplished that.”

Medal of Honor recipient Marine Pfc. Bruce Carter was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday. (Elizabeth Fraser U.S. Army/Arlington National Cemetery)

Carter was a radio operator with H Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, when North Vietnamese Army soldiers ambushed his unit in Quang Tri province on Aug. 7, 1969.

“Fully aware of the probable consequences of his action but determined to protect the men following him, he unhesitatingly threw himself over the grenade, absorbing the full effects of its detonation with his body,” says the medal citation.

“Carter's indomitable courage, inspiring initiative, and selfless devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.”

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The burial at Arlington comes 49 years after Carter-Krell was presented with her son’s Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony presided over by then-Vice President Spiro Agnew.