Arthur P. Coon

Arthur P. Coon, Sergeant First Class (SFC) (Ret.) enlisted in the United States Army on 18 April, 1979 and served three years with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC as an airborne infantryman. While a part of the 82nd, he completed the Jungle Warfare School in Panama, and was awarded a Humanitarian Service Medal for deploying with his unit to Cuban Rioting at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa.

Mr. Coon enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in October 1982. While in the National Guard, he held a variety of positions including: infantryman, supply sergeant, training NCO; and completed his final 13 years of his 32-year career as a Recruiting and Retention NCO for the NYARNG, earning a Master Recruiting Badge for enlisting 235 soldiers. He was involved in many state emergencies with the Guard, including the blizzard of 1993 and the ice storm in 1998.

In 2004, Mr. Coon founded the Glens Falls Christmas Road March to honor and raise funds for local National Guard troops deployed in Iraq. The first road march had 10 marchers, while the 16th, held in 2019, saw almost 2,000 marchers, including soldiers, veterans and civilians.

“I may not know many of the soldiers who are serving far from home,” Mr. Coon said, “but I never want them to think that we were celebrating without thinking of them and their service.”

Following retirement in 2011, Mr. Coon used his G.I Bill to earn his B.S. Degree in Multidisciplinary studies from Grantham University. He and his wife, Julia (DiCiccio), have two daughters: Amanda Harris and Hannah Coon and one granddaughter, Lila Carter.

His awards and decorations include: The Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, The Army Achievement Medal, The Army Good Conduct Medal, The Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Humanitarian Service Medal, The Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, The Army Service Ribbon, The NYS Aid to Civil Authority Medal, The Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, The Parachutist Badge, The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the NYS Long and Faithful Service Award.