Local leaders and members of the Sag Harbor community gathered Sunday to rally behind Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, a fallen hero whom they say deserves the Medal of Honor.

Haerter, a rifleman with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines was killed by a suicide bomber during Operation Iraqi Freedom while guarding a checkpoint. Haerter and another Marine stood in the path of a speeding truck that was packed with explosives. They fired their weapons in an effort to protect their station.

They are credited with saving the lives of 50 of their fellow soldiers.

More than six years after his death, leaders say they would like a fair review regarding the 19-year-old Marine's eligibility for the Medal of Honor.

Rep. Tim Bishop is introducing a bill requesting a presidential review to determine if Haerter and the other Marine, Cpl. Jonathon Yale, of Virginia, are eligible to receive the honor.

Either way, Haerter's mother, Joan Lyles, says he will always be a hero in her eyes. "I don't know many people, myself included, who could of done what he did," she says. "Even if nothing comes of this, it's still fine. He's a hero, to me and to many people."