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Follansbee veteran to be honored

Puskarich

FOLLANSBEE — The late Rich Puskarich, a longtime Follansbee resident, will be among Vietnam War veterans who died as a result of exposure to Agent Orange and other service-related conditions.

Puskarich is slated to be among veterans to be honored posthumously at a June 20 ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory Program.

He died at the age of 72 on Feb. 12, 2023, following a seven-month battle with cancer attributed to exposure to Agent Orange, while serving in Vietnam.

Puskarich was drafted soon after his graduation from Brooke High School and served in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, known as the Screaming Eagles.

He was awarded the bronze star with oak leaf clusters, defense service medal, combat infantryman badge, air medal and expert rifle award.

In 2018, he was chosen to be transported to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial through the Honor Flight program.

With his wife, Deborah, he had two children, Rich and Brandy and two grandchildren, Allison and Alex. She noted his love for life and his family, pride in his military service, work ethic and friendships he formed with his co-workers.

He was a retired employee of Eagle Manufacturing, a division of Justrite, with 50 years of service, and was awarded the Crystal Star in manufacturing. He was a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church and the Follansbee American Legion and donated a flag pole outside its headquarters in memory of Joey Perito, a classmate who was killed while serving in Vietnam at the age of 21.

Puskarich earned a black belt in martial arts and enjoyed traveling with his family, spending time with friends and keeping in touch friends he made through the military.

For information about applying for recognition through the In Memory program, visit vvmf.org/In-Memory-Program.

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