[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 51 (Friday, March 22, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF PASQUALE F. CANCILLA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELISE M. STEFANIK

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 22, 2024

  Ms. STEFANIK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the exceptional life 
and the dedicated service of Pasquale F. Cancilla.
  Pasquale Cancilla was born in Troy in 1921, after the end of the 
First World War. As he grew from a boy into a young man, he found our 
Nation in conflict with the start of the Second World War. Just six 
days after his Nation came under attack, Pasquale enlisted in the 
United States Navy. He was only 20 at the time. There, he did his duty 
with great distinction, earning a variety of medals for his impeccable 
conduct and his service around the world aboard the USS William 
Seiverling. The Navy took Pasquale to Hawaii, to the Philippines, to 
Iwo Jima, and to Okinawa. By war's end, he had risen to the rank of 
Yeoman, Third Class, in recognition of his efforts.
  After his honorable discharge in late 1945, Pasquale returned home to 
his wife Elizabeth and his family. However, his service to the United 
States was not yet at an end. In addition to a second tour in the Navy 
which ended in 1955, Pasquale served in the New York National Guard as 
a Staff Sergeant with the 105th Infantry Division.
  Pasquale also served his community when not wearing a uniform. A man 
of great faith, he filled numerous crucial roles at St. Patrick's 
Church of Troy. Proud of his naval background, Pasquale was active in 
his local chapter of the VFW, a longtime member of the Tibbitts Cadets, 
a volunteer aboard the USS Slater, and an advocate for the Destroyer 
Escort Historical Foundation. Pasquale, a father of six and a 
grandfather of twenty, found his work with children as a Boy Scout 
troop leader and a Babe Ruth baseball league manager to be especially 
rewarding.
  Pasquale lived a life full of service to those around him, whether 
that was his national community or his neighborhood one. On behalf of 
New York's 21st District, I am pleased to recognize his extraordinary 
life.

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