Honor A Veteran

The History
In June of 1993, a committee was formed by the Albany County Veterans Bureau known as the Albany County Honor-A-Veteran Committee. The committee was formed to honor a deceased Albany County veteran, who has served his country in time of conflict.

The Ceremony
The Honor A Veteran Program is a monthly event which takes place on the first Monday of each month in the Cahill room of the Albany County Office Building, 112 State St., Albany, NY 12207. The program starts promptly at 8:30 AM and lasts about one hour.

The very dignified program honors the veteran with a county proclamation delivered by County Executive Michael G. Breslin. Congressmember Michael R. McNulty presents a flag that has flown over our Nations' Capital in honor of the deceased veteran.

After proclamations are presented to the family of the veteran the ceremony adjourns to the outside front of the building for the raising of the American Flag in tribute of our honored veteran. The flag is flown for one month then taken down and given to the Honoree's family by the Chair of the Honor A Vet Selection Committee. Photos of the ceremony are also provided to the family.

The Honor a Veteran Program will be starting its 15th year this coming August, honoring over 176 veterans to date. You can view an online archive of our honorees  dating back to 2002 (when we first started adding then to our website).

The Nomination Process
Anyone (e.g., family, friends, funeral directors, veterans organizations) may submit nominating resumes directly to the committee. The following requirements must be satisfied, with supporting documentation:

1. The nominee must be a deceased veteran with ties to Albany County. The veteran must have lived most of his or her life in Albany County and must have been a county resident at the time of death. The family must currently reside within Albany County. Please have any necessary documents available for committee, such as a death notice for the veteran, something showing his or her connection to Albany County and proof of residency for the family.
2. The veteran must have been honorably discharged. Please have a copy of DD-214 available to submit to the committee.
3. Please list any campaigns, battles or other actions he or she participated in.
4. Be sure to mention any medals, awards, citations and so forth the veteran received.
5. Please provide a brief history of the nominee's service. Include any locations, dates and other relevant information.
6. Please tell us the nominee's rank and service number (should be with DD-214).
7. Tell us about the veteran's civilian service, if appropriate (include all community activities and service, as well as any participation in organizations and memberships).
8. Be sure to include a telephone number of the primary family member so we can contact the family.

You can start the nomination process by using our online form [click here]  or you can send nominating resumes to:

Joseph G. Pollicino, Director
Albany County Veterans Service Bureau
162 Washington Avenue, Room 605
Albany, NY 12206

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