HONORING HEROES
Cohoes unveils banners
COHOES, N.Y. » Hometown Hero Banners are now proudly presented in the city, thanks to a local effort to honor military members and veterans.
A large crowd turned out as the city of Cohoes and the Cohoes Veterans Memorial Committee unveiled the first set of 22 Hometown Hero Banners during a ceremony Saturday at the new Veterans Memorial Park on Columbia Street.
The ceremony began with a tribute to the life of Lt. Patrick D. McKinney, a veteran of the U. S. Navy, who recently passed away on June 13, 2018. McKinney was a devoted member of the Cohoes American Legion and Cohoes Veterans Memorial Committee who put his heart and soul into creating and establishing the new Cohoes Veterans Memorial Park, officials said.
“He loved veterans more than anybody that I’ve ever met,” Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse said of McKinney during the event. “He inspired me.”
After reading a eulogy detailing McKinney’s many efforts of service to his country and community, American Legion Post 476 commander Leo Falconio said, “Thank you for all that you’ve done. You’re gone, but not forgotten.”
Afterward, Morse and Falconio spread McKinney’s ashes in the park and presented a blue and white wreath in his honor, before a gun salute and a bugle playing of “Taps.”
Opened last November thanks to McKinney’s initiative, the Veterans Memorial park serves to honor all Cohoes veterans who proudly served for their country.
“The ceremony is to pay homage not only to a great man who committed him-
self daily to making the Veterans Memorial Park happen but to all the men and women of Cohoes who served their state and nation so admirably during times of Peace and War,” Morse said in a press release. “We acknowledge their heroism and express our sincere appreciation for their sacrifices.”
The new banner program is a living tribute created for the community to recognize and honor Cohoes residents and their family members who are serving or are veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces.
Lt. McKinney has a special Hometown Hero banner at the entrance of the park, which was renamed McKinney Circle during Saturday’s event.
The Hometown Heroes banners are now on display in the center of the Cohoes Veterans Memorial Park to celebrate and remind the community of their dedication to the country.
Those interested in learning more about how to obtain or inquire about the Hometown Hero Banner Program can contact the mayor’s office at (518) 233-2119 or visit the City of Cohoes website at https:// www.ci.cohoes. ny.us/447/ Hometown- Heroes- Program.