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Albany County Executive Mike Breslin, Congressman Paul Tonko and the Honor-A-Veteran Committee will commemorated the life of World War II veteran Douglas J. Vink at a ceremony on Monday, January 3, 2011 at the Sheehy-Palmer VFW Post in Albany.
Douglas J. Vink was born in 1925. He joined the United States Army in 1943 and was soon deployed through England to France to join the Sixth Armored Division, one of the spearhead units of General Patton's Third Army, as a Main Gunner in the M-4-A-1 Sherman Medium Tank and later as a Tank Commander. Vink's unit was dispatched to relieve the besieged units of the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded four Battle Stars for the combat he saw in Central Europe. Vink was one of three veterans featured in a book about the Battle of the Bulge, Into the Dragon's Teeth, by Dan Lynch and Paul Rutherford published in 2005.
In 1946, Vink returned to Albany and worked briefly for the Albany Port Market. He became employed with the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation in July 1946, where he remained for nearly 40 years until his retirement in 1985. He was a life member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers of America.
Vink was dedicated to sharing his war experiences with youth, volunteering for over 11 years to give lectures to students about military service and the Battle of the Bulge. In 2005, he was awarded the "Partners in Education Award" by the Capital District Council for the Social Studies for his efforts.
Vink was very active in several veterans' organizations, including serving as a member and seven time commander of the Sheehy-Palmer VFW Post, two time commander of the VFW Albany County Council, member and past president of the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, a member of the V.A. Support Group for the National Veterans Cemetery in Saratoga and a member of the Tri-County Council of Vietnam Era Veterans.
The Honor-A-Veteran ceremony is held every first Monday of the month to honor a deceased veteran of the community.
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