Senator Owen H. Johnson inducted Richard Tibbetts into the Senate Veterans Hall of Fame at the State Capitol on June 1, 2010. State Senator Owen H. Johnson (4th Senate District) recently selected a local veteran to be inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame. Richard Tibbetts, of Lindenhurst, was honored at the State Capitol on June 1. The Veterans Hall of Fame was established by the Senate in 2005 to honor the men and women throughout New York who served our nation with distinction and fought to ensure that freedom and liberty would be preserved for current and future generations.

“It is my honor to induct Richard Tibbetts into the Veterans Hall of Fame,” said Senator Owen H. Johnson, himself a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. “I am proud of Richard’s service in Vietnam and the sacrifices he made on behalf of our great nation.”

Tibbetts was called to duty in the United States Army in 1966. He received basic and advanced infantry training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and quickly found himself entrenched in the Vietnam War, serving for approximately one year in the “Big Red One” First Infantry Division. Tibbetts’s service continued until November, 1972, when he was honorably discharged from the Army. For his service in Vietnam, Richard was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze stars; the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; the National Defense Service Medal; the Combat Infantryman’s Badge; the Sharp Shooter Rifle Badge; and a Purple Heart.

Tibbetts joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in 1968. Now retired from a 40-year career as an electrician, Tibbetts is using his time to become more involved in the VFW.

As testament to the quality of his leadership, Tibbetts was recently re-elected as commander for the upcoming 2010-11 term.

Tibbetts was selected to serve as the Grand Marshall of the 2010 Lindenhurst Memorial Day Parade. He lives in Lindenhurst with Christine, his wife of 20 years, and is proud to have been an integral and vital part of helping raise her five children.