TOWN OF WALLKILL – Family members of the 13 state troopers who died in the line of duty since Troop F of the State Police was founded, remembered their loved ones during the annual Memorial Day service on Friday.
The event began with a column of uniformed troopers marching in to the ceremony led by a motorcycle and a trooper riding her Clydesdale horse.
Troop Commander Major Paul DeQuarto offered his thanks for the sacrifice of the troopers who were killed over the years.
“The world is an uncertain place and ceremonies such as this are a grim reminder of the real dangers our troopers face every day as they carry out the missions of public safety,” he said.
The names of all 13 troopers who died in the line of duty were read with a bell rung after each.
Those who died were:
John Cotter, November 21, 1970, at age 33
William McDonagh, December 14, 1975, at age 24
James Kelly, Jr., August 8, 1980, at age 31
Richard Snyder, September 20, 1984, at age 37
Joseph Aversa, March 5, 1990, at age 31
Nathaniel Burroughs, February 14, 1997, at age 30
Truscott Kelly, May 31, 2000, at age 49
Kenneth Poormon, May 31, 2000, at age 23
Jeffry Edelson, November 23, 2003, at age 34
John McKenna IV, August 16, 2006, at age 30
David Brinkerhoff, April 25, 2007, at age 29
David Lane, November 4, 2009, at age 30
Winston Martindale, Jr., July 24, 2013, at age 40
Major DeQuarto noted that every time a trooper puts on his or her uniform, they think of “our fallen heroes, the sacrifices they made, and live up to thei9r standards and to keep their legacy alive.”
