Ashby Honors World War II Veterans On Flag Day At State Capitol
June 14, 2019
Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R,C,I,Ref-Castleton) welcomed World War II veterans from Van Rensselaer Manor to be honored today, Flag Day, in the Assembly Chamber.
Ashby and his Assembly Minority colleagues honored the veterans, who were introduced during legislative session on Flag Day.
Assemblyman Jake Ashby (R,C,I,Ref-Castleton), who is the Ranking Minority Member of the Assembly Committee on Aging and sits on the Committee on Veterans Affairs, welcomed World War II veterans from Van Rensselaer Manor in his district. The veterans served in all branches and were paired with an Assembly member who either served in the same branch or was their representative. They were introduced on the floor, given a citation in their honor, and later the veterans were given a special tour of the Capitol.
“It was very important to me, before the close of legislative session, that we took time out of our proceedings to honor our World War II veterans,” said Ashby, who is an Army veteran himself. “It was an honor for me and my colleagues to listen to the stories and experiences shared by these veterans. I’m glad we were able to show them how thankful New York is for them and their service.”The following veterans honored at today’s event:
| Allan Atwell Private First Class, Army | John McCoy Sergeant, Army |
| Frank Casey Tech Sergeant, Marine Corps | Leland Palitsch Sergeant, Navy Seabees |
| Edward “Sonny” Claren Patrol Officer , Coast Guard | Russ Reickert Machinist Mate, Navy |
| Domenick Ercolano Staff Sergeant, Army Air Force | Josephine Smith Private First Class, US Women’s Army Corp |
| Edward Girard Seaman 1st Class, Navy | Thomas Sunkes Aviation Radio Man, England – Navy |
| James Lucia T4 Sergeant Technician, Army | John Tasjian Private First Class, Army |