MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida family looking to give their loved one, who is a World War II veteran, a funeral service with honors may have had their wish granted.
There is no question 99-year-old Robert Hubert Morgan is deserving of that honor, and for that reason, a fellow veteran says he’ll make sure it happens.
“I am going to miss his presence, I am going to miss his humor,” said Mary Morgan, Robert’s wife.
Robert Morgan died just 11 days shy of his 100th birthday.
His wife described him as a man of faith, and a man who devoted his life to his family, his community and his country.
“He brought joy to my life,” she said.
For 49 years, Robert Morgan worked as a social worker, helping children and mothers of domestic violence. That was after the Navy veteran fought for his country in World War II.
While Robert Morgan no doubt is deserving of military honors at his funeral, the Morgan family worries the patriarch of their family won’t receive it after they failed to fill out a DD-214 in time, the necessary document verifying his service in the military.
After Local 10′s story on the Morgan family aired on Tuesday, it caught the attention of Marcos DeRosa, a Marine veteran who now serves on the Military Affairs Board for Miami-Dade County.
“I was watching Local 10 and this story came through the air,” he said. “I started reaching out to all my resources trying to make this happen.”
Robert Morgan died on March 5. His documents to receive honors were filed a day later, but with his burial scheduled for Thursday, DeRosa quickly stepped in.
“We created an honor guard team that will be able to render honors in case the military cannot facilitate it,” he said.
It’s an honor provided by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and Coral Gables Police Department, one that the Morgan family says their father would’ve appreciated.
“No matter what happens, what his father and the patriarch of the family provided during War War II will be honored no matter what happens,” said DeRosa.
DeRosa said what happened to the Morgan family is not uncommon. In fact, it happens a lot. For that reason, he encourages veteran families to make sure they have their DD-214 form filled out.
As for the Morgan family, they are encouraging any veterans who would like to attend their father’s service to do so, and the information can be found here.