Local Veterans Honored at Half Hollow Hills Library

Assemblyman Chad A. Lupinacci (R, C, I – South Huntington) recently honored local veterans, and awarded them New York State Assembly Citations recognizing their service. The veterans were participants in the “Library of Congress, American Folklife Center’s Veterans History Project,” a program which allows veterans of all United States foreign conflicts to share testimony of their time on active duty. These videos will be preserved in the Library of Congress for future generations to study and reference. Below is Lupinacci’s opening statement from the ceremony:

Today, we are here to recognize these brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to preserve democracy and freedom throughout the world. In this gathering, we have veterans from the Second World War, Vietnam, and the most recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. No matter whether their service was on the beaches of Normandy, or the island of Iwo Jim, in the jungles of Vietnam, or the fields of Afghanistan, each of these men and women are members of a distinct fraternity of service and sacrifice.

As the representative for the 10th Assembly District, I am honored to represent parts of Suffolk County, which is home to the largest veterans’ population in all of New York State. I encourage each member of the audience today to thank these men and women, because their bravery is what enables America to be the shining example of freedom and equality throughout the world.

President Ronald Reagan once said, “You and I have the courage to tell our enemies there is a price which we will not pay, there is a point beyond which they must not advance.” The veterans that we honor today have this courage. I commend each of these veterans, because there is no more honorable or more distinguished role in American society than answering the call of duty. God bless each of you, and God bless the United States of America.
###