TAMPA, Fla. — It’s a moment and story that Chantal Hevia won’t soon forget.

What You Need To Know

  • Ybor City Museum State Park receives Ybor family descendant's purple heart

  • Salvador Martinez-Ybor fought in WWII after learning about what happened at Pearl Harbor

  • Salvador grew up in Ybor City area before moving to Cuba in the 1930's, he moved back to the U.S. to join the armed forces

  • The purple heart was in Salvador's nephew's possession for nearly 80 years

“It was sort of like this weight of history in my hand,” Hevia, CEO of the Ybor City Museum Society, said.

She recently found out that Tampa Councilman Luis Viera had been in contact with Ignacio Martinez-Ybor, a descendent of cigar magnate Vicente Martinez-Ybor.

But it wasn’t about that piece of rich history that molded the beginning of Tampa.

It was about Vicente’s grandson, Salvador.

“We’re here today to honor a man whose name too many of us do not know, but is so very relevant to our city of Tampa and to the very concept of American honor,” said Viera.

In the early 20th century, Salvador lived in the Tampa area but had moved back and was living in Cuba in the late 30s and early 40s. Then Pearl Harbor happened.

“Ybor was a son of wealth who left a life of affluence and peace in Cuba to come back to his native United States, to take up arms for the United States in World War Two,” Viera said.

He ended up fighting for his country and paid the ultimate price doing so.

In the years following, belongings from Salvador’s time in service would be sent to his nephew, Ignacio. One of those belongings was one of the highest honors a soldier can get: a purple heart.

“Ignacio would keep that purple heart from the age of four to until about a week ago when he would give it in Miami for it to be transferred over to this museum,” Viera said.

And although Ignacio is in his 80s now and was too sick to make the trip to Tampa, Salvador’s purple heart could come back to the Ybor’s home in the city named after his family.

“It represents not only Salvador Martinez-Ybor, but all those who have received Purple Hearts or who have fought for us,” Hevia said.

The purple heart is going to be placed in the Ybor City Museum State Park in an exhibit called made in the USA.

In commemoration of this moment, gold star families from Tampa were invited to speak in honor of Salvador and all the other men and women who have died while serving our country.

Their message is simple: remember their names and never forget their sacrifice.

“We’re proud of them and we are grateful for them and we owe them all a debt,” said Kelly Kowall, a gold star parent.

With Martinez-Ybor’s purple heart, Ybor City can now reflect and remember someone whose family helped shape Tampa into what it is today.