MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Alexander Kruger-Dobrota is a father of two who has gotten noticed for trying to help his fellow United States military Veterans in Miami Beach.
Kruger-Dobrota, 34, has a vision for what the Veterans of Foreign Wars of The United States Post 3559 should be like.
The haven at 650 West Ave., in South Beach, is meant to help those who are facing post-war readjustment to civilian life.
“The whole point of what I want to do and the Miami Beach VFW has to become the flagship post for Veterans’ benefits, water sports, and veteran entrepreneurship,” Kruger-Dobrota said.
The Wounded Warrior Project, a Veterans service organization, took notice of his efforts and teamed up with The National Auto Body Council’s Recycled Rides program and Classic Collision to make sure that Kruger-Dobrota could count on a 2020 Honda Accord in mint condition for his work.
Kruger-Dobrota was born in Toronto and moved to the U.S. when he was 6 years old. His mother was a school principal, and although education was important to him, he decided to drop out of Arizona State University to join the U.S. Marine Corps.
Kruger-Dobrota served from August 2009 to May 2013. The U.S. Department of Defense recognized the sacrifice of his two deployments to Afghanistan with two Global War on Terrorism service medals.
As a civilian in Miami-Dade County, Kruger-Dobrota was a licensed real estate broker and very active in South Florida’s Jiu-Jitsu community.
He was a member of Florida International University’s Student Veterans Association and he participated in Florida State University’s Warrington College of Business Veterans Entrepreneurship Program.
Most recently, Kruger-Dobrota’s values aligned with Edwin Vasco, also a USMC Veteran who attended FIU, and who has served as an outreach specialist for The Wounded Warrior Project since 2019.
“I realized that he was trying to do something for his fellow Veterans, for his community,” Vasco said. “And I realized, if I can put this guy in a better position, he will not only be able to take care of his job, his family, but he will still be able to accomplish that at a higher level.”