[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 58 (Wednesday, April 9, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E559-E560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CONGRATULATING JOSEPH A. COGNITORE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 9, 2014

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Joseph A. 
Cognitore, Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Fischer-Hewins 
Post 6249 in Rocky Point, New York. Joe is a humble man of quiet 
leadership and vision who inspires many to recognize veterans and their 
invaluable service to our country. On April 9, Joe will be honored as 
Rocky Point Lions Club ``Man of the Year'', an accolade that recognizes 
his military service and his tireless home front efforts in assisting 
his fellow veterans, as well as his commitment to the needs of the 
Rocky Point community.
  Joe was a U.S. Army Platoon Sergeant who served with honor in Vietnam 
from 1969 to 1971. His service earned him a Bronze Star and the Combat 
Infantry Badge for his valor on the battlefield. After his discharge 
from the Army, Joe worked at the Coca Cola bottling plant in Suffolk 
County for 38 years, where he eventually became branch manager.
  Following a legacy of military service and VFW membership, Joe joined 
the Farmingdale Post where his father served as Chaplain and his uncle 
as Commander. However, it was upon joining the Rocky Point Post in 1991 
that he truly found his calling. In 1994, Joe became Commander of the 
Post, the position he currently holds. His leadership has resulted in 
increased membership, extensive outreach, and assistance to those in 
need, especially Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. For more than a decade, 
the Rocky Point VFW Post has raised funds to send weekly care packages 
to troops overseas.
  Joe was also instrumental to the Diamond in the Pines 9/11 memorial 
project in Coram, raising more than $40,000. Together with the hard 
work of the Post and the Town of Brookhaven, the memorial was completed 
in six months and dedicated on September 4, 2011.
  Recently, Joe and other veteran leaders joined forces with Long 
Island Home Builders Care in their ``Building New Homes for Returning 
Veterans'' program, an affordable housing initiative that provides new 
homes to returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. 
Together with municipalities, private companies, volunteers, and many 
others, this collaborative effort resulted in the building of a new 
six-home subdivision named Veterans' Way. Just before Christmas Day 
2013, a proud community watched six veterans, their wives, and their 
young children receive the

[[Page E560]]

keys to their new homes. In order to support this worthy cause, the 
Rocky Point VFW Post sponsors an annual Wounded Warrior Golf Outing. 
The proceeds benefit Long Island Home Builders Care, the Wounded 
Warrior Project, and honors the death of U.S. Army Sgt. Jonathan 
Keller, a 1998 Shoreham-Wading River High School graduate who died in 
2009 of injuries he received while serving in Afghanistan.
  Joe also coordinates the VFW Post's Youth Council events, which 
connect young people with veterans to teach the importance of service 
and good citizenship. He is also an active member of the Rocky Point 
Senior Center, where he co-founded a program for senior citizen 
veterans.
  On behalf of the First Congressional District, I rise today to 
recognize a man who has spent his life recognizing others; a respected 
leader whose commitment to service is unyielding. I am proud to call 
Joe Cognitore my constituent and prouder to call him my friend.

                          ____________________