LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring NYPD Officer Susan Porcello, 68th Pct.,
upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by the Fort
Hamilton Senior Center

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to
recognize and acknowledge those within our midst who have made signif-
icant contributions to the quality of life therein; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor NYPD Officer
Susan Porcello, 68th Pct., upon the occasion of her designation for
special recognition by the Fort Hamilton Senior Center, to be celebrated
on Tuesday, February 17, 2009, in Brooklyn, New York; and
WHEREAS, Sometimes when old Marines die, they are buried in unmarked
graves in Potter's Field: such might have been the case for Gaspar
Musso, USMC 025050, who fought in the Battle of Tinian in the Marianas
Islands in 1944 and died on November 15, 2008, at age 84 in a Brooklyn
nursing home; and
WHEREAS, Police Officer Susan Porcello, a PBA delegate at the 68th
Precinct in Bay Ridge, is one of those big-hearted New Yorkers who gave
elderly Marine Gaspar Musso friendship and care in his final days; she
was determined not to let this brave old Marine, who fought for his
country in World War II, get buried in Potter's Field; and
WHEREAS, Officer Porcello first met Gaspar Musso back in July of 2008
when she responded to a 911 ambulance call to the retired insurance
broker's one-bedroom apartment on Marine Avenue; she and her partner
found Gaspar Musso lonely, depressed and low in spirits; and
WHEREAS, After looking around in Gaspar Musso's tidy apartment, Offi-
cer Porcello noticed that he served in the military and inquired of his
family and friends, and Gaspar mentioned that he had none and felt alone
in the world; and
WHEREAS, Officer Porcello replied, "Well, I'm your friend."; right
there, with those four beautiful words, Gaspar Musso was destined to die
with the dignity he had earned fighting for his country in a war that
saved civilization; and
WHEREAS, Gaspar Musso, a diabetic with a host of other age-related
maladies, had accidentally overdosed on his prescription medications;
Officer Porcello accompanied him to Lutheran Medical Center; and
WHEREAS, Officer Porcello told Gaspar Musso that she would be back to
visit him and take him to a senior center where he could make some
friends; she also mentioned that she was making him her 'Grandpa,' and
if he liked, he could spend Thanksgiving with her family; she also
discussed with her partner about alternating holidays with Gaspar so he
wouldn't be alone for any of them; and
WHEREAS, Two days later Gaspar Musso was placed in critical care, and
Officer Porcello asked hospital staff where he would be buried if he
didn't make it, and an administrator told her Potter's Field; and
WHEREAS, Infuriated, Officer Porcello told the hospital to keep her
apprised of Mr. Musso's condition; she had a local priest visit him, and
she even asked NYPD's Missing Person's Squad to search for next of kin
to no avail; and
WHEREAS, Gaspar Musso had been an only child to Anthony and Marie
Musso, both deceased; he had no other relatives, and his only friend, an
upstairs neighbor, had died the year before; after his health improved,
Mr. Musso asked Officer Porcello to become his official health proxy;
and
WHEREAS, Officer Porcello transferred Mr. Musso to Caton Park Nursing
Home, where he was treated extremely well; she visited him often, learn-
ing that he was born on May 7, 1924, joined the Marines in December of

1943, finished training at Camp Lejune in March of 1944, and was fight-
ing with the 2nd Marines on Tinian Island by July of 1944; and
WHEREAS, On November 13, 2008, Officer Porcello visited Gaspar Musso,
bringing him rosary beads, a Bible, and his reading glasses; the next
day, she returned and found him sitting up in a chair, dressed in his
own clothes and looking great; she washed his hands and face, trimmed
his nails and eyebrows and inquired if he was coming to her house for
Thanksgiving; and
WHEREAS, The next morning Officer Porcello received a phone call
saying that Gaspar Musso had died peacefully in his sleep; at that
point, she was determined not to let her good friend be toe-tagged and
buried in Potter's Field; and
WHEREAS, Officer Porcello paid out of her own pocket for a wake at
McLaughlin's on Third Avenue and a mass at St. Patrick's Church in Bay
Ridge, where a crowd of good-hearted cops from the 68th Precinct filled
the pews, six serving as pallbearers; and
WHEREAS, Because of Officer Porcello, taps blew over Gaspar Musso,
United States Marine, as he was buried next to his mother at Resur-
rection Cemetery in Staten Island, with the dignity he deserved; and
WHEREAS, A true asset to society, Officer Susan Porcello's distin-
guished record merits the recognition and respectful tribute of this
Legislative Body; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor NYPD Officer Susan Porcello, 68th Pct., upon the occasion of her
designation for special recognition by the Fort Hamilton Senior Center;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to NYPD Officer Susan Porcello.