By Jason Dole
MONTICELLO — May 1, 2007 — William “Bill” Brustman was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame in a special presentation before the Sullivan County Legislature on Thursday.
A lifelong resident of Obernburg, Brustman is is one of about 230 veterans in America to have received the Combat Infantry Badge Third Award. He served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Previously, he had earned the Bronze Star and Combat Infantry Badge.
“What’s interesting is that there were many [VFW] posts in Sullivan County, not only his post in Long Eddy that stepped forward and said ‘this is a man of honor that we should all recognize,’” said Senator John Bonacic at the presentation.
Bonacic commended Brustman not only for his 23 years of active military service, but for his lifetime of service since then. Brustman snapped Bonacic a smart salute before joining him before the podium.
“In the military, I have faced many challenges, but I had a lot of great people serving beside me,” said Brustman. “We didn’t all comb our hair the same way, we came from different religions, but by some measure, we came together to accomplish our goals and accomplish our missions.”