Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara will be hosting a ceremony at the VIAPORT Rotterdam Mall honoring the lives of three local veterans who recently passed away. “Memorial Day is a time for us to come together and honor the courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the principles that unite us as Americans. As a former member of the U.S. Army Reserve and a member of the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I’m proud to host this ceremony that honors all of those, past and present, who have served our great nation.” 

NEW Veterans Memorial to be Unveiled during the event in memory of 3 local veterans:

• William H. Hart Sr. – Served as a combat medic in the U.S. Army for eight years, completing two tours of duty in Germany, one in San Francisco, and was stationed in Vietnam from 1967-68, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star with a “V” device for heroism.

• EJ Knapick – Navy veteran who served as a petty officer aboard the U.S.S. Miami stationed in the Pacific during World War II. Upon returning home, he served as a commander at AMVETS and as legislative chair for over 30 years for which he received the AMVETS Silver Helmet Award.

• Louis R. Lupi, Sr. – Veteran sharpshooter of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Once home, he became a well-known figure of the Rotterdam community having joined AMVETS Post 35 in Rotterdam and having been selected as the 2019 Grand Marshall of the Rotterdam Veteran Parade.