veteran

Meet Tillman Scholar Natasha DeLeon

When Natasha DeLeon opted to join the military after high school, one of the reasons she decided to enlist was that she understood the value of an education. She was also well-aware there was a financial cost required to obtain it. While the G.I. Bill is a well-known educational benefit for military service, each branch of the military has unique benefits for servicemembers seeking to better themselves through higher education, and for DeLeon the educational benefits were among her top priorities in terms of what she was seeking.

Hometown Hero: Jack Pullano

The United States Air Force Veteran Jack Pullano was born in Amherst, New York, and he was raised in Hopkinton, New York. Three weeks after graduating high school in 2017, Jack enlisted in the United States Air Force serving on active duty for four years. After completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, and Fuels tech school in Wichita Falls, Texas, Jack received orders to Kadena, Air Base, located in Okinawa Japan. While stationed at Kadena, he was a Fuels Journeyman with the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron and a member of the only Pacific Air Force’s Special Operations Forward Area Refueling Point Team under the 353rd Special Operations Group.

Hometown Hero: U.S. ARMY WWII Veteran and SU CoL Alumnus, Robert “Bob” Gang, Jr.

Robert “Bob” Gang, Jr. was born on June 6, 1918, in Syracuse, New York. He attended Christian Brothers Academy High School and entered Syracuse University in the fall of 1935. Bob joined the Syracuse University Army ROTC “Stalwart Battalion” program and was a member of the Pershing rifle team that practiced on a rifle range in the basement of Archbold Gymnasium.  After graduation in 1939, Bob enrolled in the College of Law. 

Hometown Hero – Pei Ren

Syracuse University Army ROTC Cadet and U.S. Army veteran Pei Ren was born in New York City and grew up in Macon, Georgia. Cadet Ren enlisted in the U.S. Army in November 2015 and served on active duty from 2016 to 2019 as a 35N (November), Signal Intelligence Analyst.

Hometown Hero – Anthony Ruscitto

United States Marine Corps Anthony Joseph Ruscitto was born in Syracuse, New York and graduated from Bishop Grimes high school in 2013. Tony enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2013 at the age of 17 and would serve a total of five years on active duty. He completed Marine Corps Recruit Training and earned the title of United States Marine at Parris Island, South Carolina in February of 2014. He then completed Marine and Naval Aircrew flight training as a CH-53E Helicopter Crew Chief at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, North Carolina in 2015.

Dr. Ruth Chen and COL (Ret.) Ron Novack Attend Ceremony for WWII Veteran Whose Remains Were Recently Identified

S. Army 1st Lt. Myles Esmay ’40 was killed on June 7, 1944, while fighting against Japanese forces in Burma (now Myanmar). He and others were unable to be identified at the time of his death, but in 2021 Esmay was formally identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. This allowed Esmay to not only be brought back home to the United States, but also buried alongside his brothers in arms at Arlington National Cemetery.