Standing just 4-foot-10, Richard Flaherty first had to fight to get into the military. Once in Vietnam, he had to fight to survive.
During two combat tours as an Army Green Beret, the onetime Hallandale Beach resident was awarded five Purple Hearts, along with Silver Star and Bronze Star medals for valor, according to his brother Walter Flaherty.
"We were very proud of him," said Walter Flaherty, of Port Charlotte.
Richard Flaherty died Saturday when he was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Aventura, according to authorities. He was 69.
Richard Flaherty, right, with older brother Walter, in an undated family photo.