CONTACT: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 of (cell) 518-429-5186

FOR RELEASE: Saturday, Nov 08, 2008

WHO:

Major General Joseph Taluto, the Adjutant General of New York, Military Heritage President Fred Altman, and Saratoga Springs mayor Scott Johnson honor Saratoga Springs resident Eugene Corsale.

WHAT:

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (11/06/2008)-- Saratoga Springs resident Eugene Corsale, an 80-year old Navy veteran, will be recognized as New York State Military Heritage Institute Veteran of the Year at a ceremony being held Saturday Nov. 8, at the New York State Military History Museum. Presentation of New York State Military Heritage Institute Veteran of the Year Award and reception

WHEN:

Reception begins at 1: p.m., Saturday, Nov. 8, award presentation at around 2 p.m.

WHERE:

New York State Military History Museum, 61 Lake Avenue, Saratoga Springs.

The New York State Military History Institute, a non-profit organization which provides volunteers, fiscal and program support to the New York State Military Museum, recognizes an outstanding veteran annually. Eugene Corsale, a lifelong Saratoga Springs resident, has been instrumental in supporting the Institutes activities, to include serving as a trustee of the Institute, and assisting the museum's oral history program by collecting video tapes of monthly ceremonies commemorating deceased Saratoga County veterans. He was the co-chairman of this program, which has honored more than 100 veterans over the last nine years. Corsale has served as a project manager for a plaque honoring veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq and the War on Terror, at the Saratoga County railroad station, and also was project manager of an effort to restore the 196-year old Gideon Putnam cemetery. .Background: Eugene Corsale: Corsale served in the United States Navy from 1950 to 1954. This service included a tour on the battleship USS Wisconsin off the Korean coast and time spent about USS Midway, an aircraft carrier, in the Mediterranean. A retired Saratoga County Real Property Tax Director, Corsale and his wife have two daughters and four grandchildren. He served as co-chairman of a Saratoga County program which recognizes deceased service members each months, and has been vice commander of Adirondack Post 60 Korean Veterans of America. While serving as Real Property Director he lobbied for state legislation which preserved veterans' property tax exemptions. He has been involved in a number of veterans' initiatives over the years. Major General Joseph Taluto: Major General Taluto was appointed The Adjutant General for the State of New York on January 23, 2006. Prior to this assignment, General Taluto was assigned as the Commander, 42nd Infantry Division, and New York Army National Guard. Maj. Gen. Taluto commanded the division and Task Force Liberty during its historic deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III from 2004-2005. Taluto served as the Joint Task Force Commander during the 42nd Infantry Division's initial emergency response mission to assist the City of New York in its security and recovery operations following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. He directed a force of some 2,000 Soldiers, Airmen, sailors and Marines to assist the city's Office of Emergency Management. New York State Military History Institute: The Institute was formed in 1991 for the purpose of preservation, expansion, and interpretation of New York's military history collection. After several successful years operating a military museum in the Washington Avenue armory in Albany, it became a partner with the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. At that time, the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center was established in the Saratoga Springs armory in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Institute assists in museum exhibit-planning, as well as museum operations. New York State Military History Museum: The museum houses over 10,000 artifacts dating from the Revolutionary War to Operation Iraqi Freedom that relate to New York State's military forces, the state's military history and the contributions of New York's veterans. The artifacts include uniforms, weapons, artillery pieces, and art. A significant portion of the museum's collection is from the Civil War. Included in the museum are significant holdings relating to New York's 27th Division in World War I and World War II and notable state military regiments such as the 7th (Silk Stocking Regiment), 69th (Fighting Irish), 71st, and 369th (Harlem Hell fighters) New York Infantry. The museum also owns the largest collection of state battle flags in the country and the largest collection of Civil War flags in the world. Of the over 1700 flags in the collection, more than 60% are from the Civil War. The flags date from the War of 1812 through the 1991 Gulf War. The museum maintains an exhibit of its flag collection in the state capitol building in Albany where the museum collection was originally housed