Veteran honored
Providence airborne veteran honored by county
BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. » A Providence man, who served with the army’s famed 82nd Airborne Division, was remembered during recent Honoring Our Deceased Veterans program ceremonies at Saratoga County offices in Ballston Spa.
David A. Seelow, who attended Galway Central Schools, joined the army at age 17 on June 6, 1977.
It was only fitting that his service began on the one of the most important dates in U.S. military history, as D-Day, the Allied invasion of Europe in World War II, occurred exactly 33 years earlier on June 6, 1944.
Seelow was trained to become a mechanic for the M163 Vulcan Air Defense System, a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun that operated in conjunction with Forward Area Alerting Radar.
“It was a last line of defense weapon designed to engage incoming enemy fighter aircraft,” said Frank McClement, Saratoga County Veterans Service Agency director. “David’s duties would include the maintenance and operations of these systems. This wasn’t an easy task as they had a reputation as a maintenance heavy system.”
From there, Seelow reported to Fort Benning, Georgia, for Airborne School.
“Airborne Soldiers have a long and distinguished tradition of being an elite body of fighting men and women, people who have always set the example for determination and courage,” McClement said. “When you volunteer for this training, you accept the challenge of continuing this tradition. David would have his wings pinned on his chest on June 22, 1978, in a ceremony on the drop zone after his final qualifying jump.”
After Airborne School, Seelow was assigned to HHB 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in the 82nd Airborne Division stationed at Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville, N.C.
“David would join the ranks of many that came before him from a long and honored history,” McClement said.
It was constituted in the regular army during the War of 1812 as a company in the 2nd Regiment of Artillery.
In addition to this war, other campaigns the regiment served in are the Barbary Wars, Indian Wars, Mexican War and Civil War, including some of its most famous battles such as Antietam, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Chancellorsville and Appomattox. It also served in the War with Spain (Puerto Rico), World War I and World War II in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, and Leyte and Ryukyu Islands in the Pacific.
This was all before the regiment was redesignated and assigned the famous 82d Airborne Division where Seelow would serve.
McClement has a special af-
finity and appreciation for Seelow’s service because he, too, was a paratrooper.
“I’m sure David spent many mornings running alongside his fellow paratroopers up and down Ardennes Boulevard at Fort Bragg, calling cadence in formation as is the scene every day in division,” he said. “Life in the airborne is dangerous business even in training. The 82nd has a sign at the entrance to division headquarters on Gruber Road, and each day that passes without a training death the count goes up. If the division hits 82 days, the division gets a day off. It rarely hits 82.”
While stationed at Fort Bragg, Seelow earned the Army Commendation Medal by saving a civilian’s life, which wouldn’t have been possible without his training or skills.
After leaving the military, Seelow worked in construction. However, his life ended too early at a young age.
Officials representing all levels of government presented his family with a number awards and proclamations including a New York State Senate Liberty Medal, the state’s highest honor; an American flag that has flown over the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.; and a citation signed by President Donald Trump.
The flag was raised outside county offices, accompanied by an honor guard rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.” The flag will stay there until the next Honoring Our Deceased Veterans Program ceremony, in November, when it will be returned to family members.
The county recognizes a veteran from a different town and city in Saratoga County each month.