State Sen. Greg Ball, who is chairman of the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, asked towns, villages and cities throughout his district, which includes parts of Westchester and Putnam to nominate a veteran for the Hall of Fame.
Dale Beatty, a 2013 CNN Hero nominee and Co-Founder of Purple Heart Homes, gave the keynote speech. Purple Heart Homes is a nonprofit dedicated to providing personalized housing solutions for disabled veterans and their families,
“At Purple Heat Homes we ask all of our Service Connected Disabled Veterans to pay it forward, to make a difference in their community or the lives of others. I am truly honored to be among those that will be inducted into the 3rd Annual Veteran’s Hall of Fame. We want to absorb their experience and wisdom so we can continue to make our country great at home.”
For more information about Purple Heart Homes, visit its website.
In addition to Beatty, Lt. General Joseph Anderson was in attendance to accept an award on behalf of his father, Ralph Anderson of Buchanan. Anderson is a three-star general in command of the XVIII Airborne Corp and Fort Bragg.
Each veteran honored at the ceremony is included on a traveling wall that will tour local municipalities and schools throughout the 40th District.
The following are the Westchester inductees:
Buchanan, Chief Fire Controlman Ralph Anderson
Buchanan, Cpl. Joseph Occhipinti
Cortlandt, Fire Control 3rd Class George Price
Croton-On-Hudson, Gunners Mate 3rd Class Joseph Turturro
Hawthorne, Sgt. E-5 Giuseppe "Joe" Tanzi
Lewisboro, Pfc. Daniel Sant
Montrose, Pfc. Paul Raphael
Mount Kisco, Cpl. John Hvisch
Mount Pleasant, Petty Officer Ronald Rose
Mount Pleasant, Cpl. Edmund Burke
New Castle, Staff Sgt. Mark Blindman
North Salem, Sgt. Andrew Sandor
Peekskill, Cpl. Charles Wassil, Jr. (Posthumously)
Pleasantville, Capt. Scott Elliott
Somers, Pfc. Nicholas Lapenna
Yorktown, Sgt. Dimitri Sywyk
Yorktown, Sgt. William Lewis
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