postLemmProcessionJune 7, 2016 - On the 72nd anniversary of the D Day Allied Invasion at Normandy, Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino joined the family of Staff Sargent Joseph Lemm of Harrison and nearly 100 guests to dedicate a plaque in his honor at the Kensico Dam Memorial Walkway. Lemm, of the Air National Guard and a detective in the NYPD, was killed in action by a suicide bomber on December 21, 2015 in Bagram, Afghanistan.
The ceremony began with a procession led by the Pipes and Drums of the Westchester Police Emerald Society, followed by remarks from Director of the Westchester Veterans Service Agency, Ronald Tocci and the county executive.
“Often we wonder if the best of America is past us, if today’s Americans are no longer capable of the guts and greatness that marked previous generations,” said Astorino. “In Staff Sergeant Joseph Lemm we find an answer. Yes. Not only was Joseph Lemm a throwback to the greatest generation, he was the greatest of our generation today.”
Astorino then escorted Joseph Lemm’s family, his wife Christine and his children Brooke and Ryan, to place a wreath at the plaque under a tree on the Memorial Walkway. A Rifle Salute was then followed by Taps.
During his State of the County Address in April, Astorino awarded Lemm with Westchester County’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.