Carmel, N.Y. – (11/14/11) – Twenty-seven veterans throughout the Hudson Valley were honored by Senator Greg Ball (R, C – Patterson) at the Veterans’ Hall of Fame ceremony on Thursday.
The Veteran’s Hall of Fame was created by Senator Ball, and designed to honor outstanding veterans from throughout the 40th Senate District. Each veteran that was honored will be included on a traveling wall that will tour local municipalities throughout the 40th district.
Retired Sergeant John T. McQuillan is the Town of Yorktown’s inductee for the Veterans’ Hall of Fame. McQuillan was born on March 21, 1947 in the Bronx and served as a Communications Technician is the United States Air Force, where he earned the Good Conduct Medal, 2 Unit Citations, the National Defense Ribbon, and the Expert Marksman Award.
Prior to enlisting in the Air Force, McQuillan was a Boy Scout, who rose to the rank of Eagle Scout and earned the Silver Beaver Award. After his service, he remained with the Boy Scouts and has been recognized with the 50 Years of Scouting Leadership Award.
For Memorial Day, McQuillan mobilizes local Scouts in placing American flags at veterans’ graves as a sign of respect for their service to our nation. In 2011, over 480 American flags were placed due to his efforts. McQuillan has also taken on the task of identifying all veterans’ graves in the Town of Yorktown, identifying three Revolutionary War veterans and thirteen Civil War Veterans at the Shrub Oak Methodist Cemetery in the last three months.
For twenty-six years, McQuillan has been an active member of the Yorktown American Legion Post #1009, including twenty-two years as the post’s present Financial Officer. He is also a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 49 and an officer of the Father John LaFarge Council #4012 of the Knights of Columbus in Yorktown.
During his opening remarks Senator Ball said, “The veterans who are here today were nominated by their communities, hand-picked because they chose a path of courage, honor, integrity and bravery; a path that helped shape America as we know it, protecting our way of life and liberty.”
