LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Sam Riti upon the occasion of his desig-
nation as recipient of the 2014 Silver Helmet AMVET of the Year Award

WHEREAS, The State of New York takes great pride in recognizing its
esteemed residents who have distinguished themselves in service to their
community; and
WHEREAS, Members of the Armed Services from the State of New York, who
have served so valiantly and honorably defending this country's freedom
and constantly working for the preservation of peace, deserve a special
salute from this Legislative Body; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concerns, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Sam
Riti for his accomplishments, including the 2014 Silver Helmet AMVET of
the Year Award in March of 2014; and
WHEREAS, The Silver Helmet Awards recognize excellence and outstanding
accomplishment in the fields of Americanism, defense, rehabilitation,
congressional and civil service; the AMVETS Silver Helmet Award, a
silver replica of the World War II GI helmet, is known as the "Veterans
Oscar"; and
WHEREAS, Sam Riti, of Yonkers, New York, has gone above and beyond the
call of duty in his demonstrated commitment to his fellow veterans and
the City of Yonkers; and
WHEREAS, The son of the late Palma and Rocco Riti, Sam Riti served
with honor in the United States Army from September 1966-1968 during the
Vietnam War; he received the Good Conduct Medal, the Expert Badge for
Firing, Rifle and Pistols, and the National Defense Ribbon; and
WHEREAS, Sam Riti has been a member of the Armando Rauso AMVETS Post
No. 40 in Yonkers since 1974, and has held many positions of leadership
in that time, including 17 terms as Post Commander; he has been Post
Representative to the Central Committee of War Veterans Organizations,
City of Yonkers, for 38 years, serving as that body's Vice Chairman and
Chairman; in addition, he has served at the state level in multiple
capacities, including more than 30 years as New York State Delegate
representative for Post 40 at state conventions and SEC meetings; since
2005 he has served as New York State Public Relations Officer; and
WHEREAS, Sam Riti's outstanding leadership has significantly raised
the profile of veterans in his community; he was instrumental in getting
the street on which his Post is located named "Armando Rauso Post 40
AMVETS Way," and he also played a role in the City of Yonkers' renaming
a portion of South Broadway "Veterans Memorial Plaza," as well as the
naming of the bridges going North and South on the Taconic State Park-
way, "AMVETS Memorial Bridges"; in addition, he was part of the estab-
lishment of a VA Clinic in Yonkers; and
WHEREAS, Tireless in his devotion, Sam Riti's list of volunteer activ-
ities in service to veterans is endless; a member of the Westchester
County Veterans Advisory Board for over 25 years, he has been the Yonk-
ers Veterans Day Chairman 14 times, and is the only veteran appointed
Mayors Memorial Day Chairman for five mayors, annually overseeing activ-
ities such as: Color Your Flag Contest, Oratorical Contest, Decoration
of Graves, and the Memorial Day Parade and church services; in addition,
he has spent untold hours coordinating the collection of food, toile-
tries, and other wish list items for preparation and shipping of care
packages to active servicemen and women in the United States Armed Forc-
es overseas; and
WHEREAS, Sam Riti was employed as a letter carrier for the United
States Postal Service (USPS), retiring after 39 years; during his tenure
he participated in many community activities on behalf of USPS, serving

as co-chairman of the Combined Federal Campaign, Bond Canvasser for the
United States Savings Bond Drive, and, most notably, Chairman of the
Yonkers Postal Service Blood Drive; his blood drives collected some 25
gallons of blood, and, a loyal blood donor himself, he is a member of
the elite 2 Gallon Club; and
WHEREAS, Sam Riti has been called upon to contribute his time and
talents to countless other civic and charitable endeavors and has always
given of himself unstintingly; and
WHEREAS, A high school basketball official for 40 years, he officiates
many volunteer basketball games benefiting PAL, Ronald McDonald House,
churches, the Board of Education and the Yonkers Fire Department to
raise money for their burn center; Sam Riti has also done games for the
Post Office to raise funds for the C.F.C., the Jerry Lewis Telethon, and
the NAACP; and
WHEREAS, This magnanimous man was President and Treasurer of the 7th
Ward Punchball League for 15 years, and helped with the Little League
teams in the North Yonkers Boys Club and Park Hill Boys and Girls Club;
he also sat on the Board of Directors for the Yonkers YMCA for 10 years,
and, an active helper at the VA Hospital, he received a certificate in
2009 recognizing 1,500 volunteer hours; and
WHEREAS, For more than 20 years, Sam Riti has annually purchased and
given more than four dozen Thanksgiving turkeys to churches for distrib-
ution to families in need and homeless shelters; and
WHEREAS, Sam Riti has received numerous awards and accolades for his
tremendous contributions to the community and to veterans, including his
designation as AMVET of the Year by the Department of New York State,
the Congressman's Medal of Merit, the Americanism Award from the City of
Yonkers, and many proclamations and certificates from elected officials;
in 1979, he was one of eight men cited to receive a Citation from the
County of Westchester on behalf of President Jimmy Carter, as Viet Nam
Veteran of the Era; and
WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his children, Palma and Rocco,
who feel privileged to be a part of his life and rejoice in his achieve-
ments; and
WHEREAS, Sam Riti has exhibited the true spirit of this prestigious
award through his unmatched commitment to veterans and his community;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Sam Riti for his accomplishments; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
.SO DOC A R347 RESO TEXT 2015
smitted to Sam Riti.