Clay County World War II hero dies at 102

Marine sergeant. World War II veteran. Purple Heart recipient.

All of these words tin beryllium utilized to picture Winton Carter, an astonishing Jacksonville-area hero.

Carter, News4JAX anchor Joy Purdy’s neighbour successful Clay County, was archetypal introduced to the News4JAX household erstwhile helium was turning 100 years old.

Carter was laid to remainder Thursday astatine Jacksonville Memory Gardens successful Orange Park, aft passing distant Thanksgiving morning. He was 102.

RELATED: World War II leader from Clay County turns 102

Carter’s girl presented the folded emblem atop her father’s casket. She said her begetter didn’t privation a batch of fuss astatine his funeral.

But, she said, however could she not springiness the retired Marine Corps maestro sergeant afloat honors astatine his burial?

When News4JAX archetypal sat down with Carter successful 2019, helium told some horrific and harrowing tales of World War II, including being determination for the raising of the American emblem astatine Iwo Jima.

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“They had gotten successful a clump of cigarettes, and I was going down to get a lawsuit of them for my people, and idiosyncratic says, ‘Hey look, they’re raising a flag.’ We turned astir and looked and I could spot them, spot the emblem going up, but I wasn’t there, you know, successful that fancy representation they have. It means much to maine present than it did then,” Carter recalled successful 2019.

On his 100th birthday, Carter was honored astatine the 3rd yearly Veterans Appreciation Day successful Clay County.

When he turned 101, Carter was inactive driving!

At 102, greeting breakfasts with 3 aged subject buddies began to wane.

With the radical losing seasoned Art Thomas backmost successful September, some veterans Clifford Plant and Ron Wallace made definite they were determination for Carter’s nonstop off.

Remembering a warfare hero, amusive neighbor, astonishing father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather --

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and, a large friend.

Also, attending Carter’s ceremonial -- the section subdivision of the Patriot Guard Riders, a unpaid motorcycle group, which stands passim the burial with the household of fallen subject heroes similar Mr. Carter, archetypal responders and honorably discharged veterans.

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