The Brief
- A Jesuit High School student launched a major historical preservation project honoring the 732 veterans interred at the American Legion Cemetery on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa.
- His project, “American Bios,” documents the lives of veterans buried there, pairing historical research with storytelling to preserve their legacies.
- The effort began after his chance meeting with the president of the American Legion Cemetery Corp., who revealed that little information existed beyond the veterans’ names and service details.
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.…