United States Marine Corps Lt. General James F. Amos, the commanding general of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, recently presented Major General Thomas F. Barraga with the N.Y.S. Conspicuous Service Medal. Major General Barraga, who is a state assemblyman, received the decoration for his efforts in establishing a marine Corps Injured Support Unit at Camp Lejeune. The purpose of the program is to provide direct assistance to Marines and soldiers severely wounded while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Barraga, the ranking Republican member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and a major general in the New York Guard, served on active duty with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune during the spring of this year. The goals of the program is to ensure that Marines wounded in combat zones along with their families at home receive appropriate financial, health and administrative support. During his mission, Barraga visited several military hospitals including the U.S. Marine Corps Hospital at Camp Lejeune, Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. and Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, where severely wounded soldiers and Marines receive extensive medical treatment before transferring to facilities closer to home. He also met with marine families to help them cope with their situations.

The Conspicuous Service Medal in order of precedence ranks second only to the Medal of Valor. Major General Barraga said, "I humbly accept this decoration on behalf of all those wounded Marines and soldiers who are the true heroes. They are the real patriots. Men and women who put their own lives on the line every day in the name of liberty and freedom - God bless them."