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Heroes Among Us: Marine Veteran Melvin Zimmerman Takes Pride In His "Send Me First" Attitude

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SUNRISE (CBSMiami) – This week we introduce you to Melvin Zimmerman.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1958.

Not many people can say they lived out there dream, but he accomplished his when he became a Marine.

In the service, his infantry group was the first to get shipped out when the U.S. had an important mission to carry out.

One morning they awoke to hear that they were being shipped out to Guantanamo Bay to hunt down someone that ended up playing a very big part in Cuba's history.

Melvin recalls the days they spent on that special mission.

"We slept for four days on a guided missile cruiser, going out in the jungle every day trying to hunt [Fidel] Castro," he said.

Although that mission proved unsuccessful, Melvin still takes pride in knowing that his "send me first" attitude was done for the love of defending his country.

Recently, he was honored with an emotional standing ovation at a Florida Panthers game as community hero of the game.

On behalf of CBS4 and the Florida Panthers, Melvin, we would like to say thank you for your service.

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