Vets Receive Service Medal 100 Years After WWI Homecoming
By Holly Crocco
More than 100 years after Putnam County awarded service members with a medal upon returning home from World War I, the county honored veterans during a ceremony Nov. 9 on the steps of the Historic Courthouse in Carmel, handing out 97 Putnam County Service Medals to deserving residents.
“We re-enacted what took place 100 years plus two weeks ago,” Legislature Chairman Joseph Castellano, R-Southeast, told his colleagues during a county committee meeting last week.
“It was a proud moment in Putnam County,” added Legislator Ginny Nacerino, R-Patterson.
A smaller ceremony took place in July, with additional presentations being made in the months since.
“The people of Putnam County fundraised $10,000 to fund the first 400 medals,” said Castellano, noting that not quite 200 have been distributed. “We still have a few more medals to give away.”
Former Gov. Alfred Smith authorized the county’s Board of Supervisors to enact a reception and medal ceremony as a celebration of more than 200 returning soldiers Oct. 25, 1919 on the steps of the Historic Courthouse.
In 2017, Maj. Roderick Cassidy, a retired Army lawyer that lives in Brewster, approached Castellano and suggested the county hold another ceremony for the award’s 100th anniversary – an idea that was well received by lawmakers.
In 2018, the Legislature established the Putnam Medal Advisory Board, which sought to update the medal and organize a number of ceremonies to honor veterans.
The updated medal, first presented in 1919, features Revolutionary War hero Daniel Nimham. It was designed by artist Michael Keropian, a resident of Gipsy Trail in Kent who also serves as the sculpture chairperson for the Hudson Valley Art Association.
