TAMPA, Fla. - A Jesuit High School teen’s curiosity about a small cemetery on Kennedy Boulevard has sparked a mission to bring history to life.

For years, Drew Garcia rode past the American Legion Cemetery on his way through South Tampa, always wondering who was buried behind its arched gate — and what stories lay beyond the weathered headstones.

That childhood curiosity grew into a calling. A chance introduction to Alyse Duffy, the cemetery’s president, opened Garcia’s eyes to a staggering fact: Although the cemetery held the remains of 732 American Legion veterans , almost nothing was known about them.

What we know:

Now, Garcia has made it his mission to tell those stories — one veteran at a time. His detailed research has already uncovered remarkable lives, including:

Garcia’s

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