A decorated Marine who spent years working at Medford's post office could soon have his name on the building.

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02) has introduced a bill to rename the Medford post office in honor of Gunnery Sergeant Ruben Santos.

Santos, a Vietnam veteran and longtime postal employee, died on Long Island on March 30 at age 86.

He served with distinction in the Vietnam War and earned the Silver Star, one of the nation's highest awards for valor in combat, along with numerous other honors.

When his time in the Marine Corps ended, Santos did not step away from public service.

He went to work for the United States Postal Service and spent many years at the same Medford post office the bill would now name for him.

That second career is a big part of why supporters see the building as the right place for a tribute.

In announcing the bill, Garbarino called Santos an American hero whose commitment to service continued after he came home from Vietnam.

The congressman said the post office renaming would help make sure Santos is remembered by generations of Long Islanders to come.

Santos was born on Feb. 9, 1940, in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Fellow veterans and neighbors across Long Island continue to honor his military service and his dedication to the community.

Naming a post office is one of the most common ways Congress recognizes people from local communities, from fallen service members to longtime public servants.

The process still takes time, though.

The bill has to pass both the House and the Senate and be signed by the president before the new name becomes official.

Once that happens, the Medford post office would formally carry Santos's name.

For a Vietnam veteran who spent decades serving others, first in uniform and then behind a post office counter, it would be a fitting place to be remembered.

For Medford residents, it would put a local hero's story on a building many of them walk into every week.

It is also a reminder that some of the community's most decorated veterans came home and quietly kept serving the people around them.