Bill > J00400

This resolution commends Technician Fourth Grade Joseph S. Cesternino posthumously for receiving the Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the New York State Senate. The resolution honors Cesternino's military service during World War II, highlighting his enlistment in the Army in 1944, service in the 455th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion in the European Theater, and participation in campaigns across France and Germany. Cesternino, who was born in Hudson, New York in 1925, served as a dispatch clerk and was part of a unit commended by General George S. Patton for helping defeat the Nazi regime. He was awarded multiple military medals, including the EAME Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and WWII Victory Medal. After the war, he worked in various industries, started his own construction company, and was a family man with two sons, six grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren. The resolution emphasizes the importance of recognizing and honoring veterans for their courage, sacrifice, and service to the nation, and officially commends Cesternino at a ceremony in Columbia County on November 25, 2024, while also arranging for an engrossed copy of the resolution to be transmitted to his family.

Budget and Finance

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/J400