Mannion Presents Military Honors to Utica Veteran

Representative John Mannion presented medals and badges earned by Anthony Famolaro during his U.S. Army service.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Awards

Military medals with navy, red, and gold ribbons rest on a dark wooden table beside folded green fabric, with a blurred brick building window behind. — Representative John Mannion presented military medals and badges earned by Utica Army veteran Anthony Famolaro during his 1969-1971 service. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Representative John Mannion presented military honors to Anthony Famolaro, a U.S. Army veteran from Utica. Mannion's office worked with Famolaro and his daughter to secure the medal and badges he earned during his service.

Why it matters

The honors formally recognize Famolaro's service from 1969 to 1971 and his later membership in the U.S. Army Reserve. For residents of Utica, the presentation highlights the recognition available to local veterans through their congressional representative's office.

Famolaro received the National Defense Service Medal along with the Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Grenade Bar and the Sharpshooter Marksmanship Qualification Badge with Automatic Rifle and Rifle Bars. His Army service at Fort Dix with the 13th Infantry ran from 1969 to 1971, and the source does not indicate whether further recognitions are pending.

The players

John Mannion

John Mannion is the U.S. Representative whose office secured and presented the military honors to Famolaro.

Anthony Famolaro

Anthony Famolaro is a U.S. Army veteran from Utica who served from 1969 to 1971 and later joined the U.S. Army Reserve.

The details

Representative John Mannion presented the honors to Famolaro, whose service included time at Fort Dix with the 13th Infantry. Mannion's office worked with Famolaro and his daughter to secure the medal and badges after they were earned.

1969 to 1971: Famolaro serves in the U.S. Army at Fort Dix.
November 5, 2026: Mannion presents the military honors to Famolaro.

Culture Shift

Congressional offices routinely help constituents obtain military medals and badges they earned but never received, a service that connects individual veterans to formal recognition decades after their service. This presentation follows that pattern of constituent casework for veterans in the Utica area.

Utica-area veterans who believe they earned medals or badges they never received can contact their congressional representative's office for help securing those records. The process can involve working with a family member to gather documentation.

The takeaway

Veterans who earned service medals or marksmanship badges but never received them may be able to recover them through a congressional office. Gathering documents with a family member can help move the request forward.