Salvatore J. Cassano and New York City Fire Department Named 2011 Distinguished Patriots Of The Year by Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York

Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano and the entire New York City Fire Department have been named Distinguished Patriots of 2011 by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York. The award will be presented at the George Washington Birthday Ball.

New York, NY, - In recognition of their bravery and the supreme sacrifice of so many of their fellow Department members, including the 343 heroes who gave their lives on September 11, 2001, Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano and the entire New York City Fire Department have been named Distinguished Patriots of the Year by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York. The award will be presented at the Son's annual George Washington Birthday Ball, to be held on February 17, 2011 at the Metropolitan Club in New York City.

"The Sons of the Revolution is charged with keeping alive the memory of the Patriots of 1776. With this award we honor Commissioner Cassano and his fellow members of the New York City Fire Department as great Patriots of today and their fallen comrades as great Patriots for all time," said Anthony Wellman, spokesman for the Sons.

Commissioner Cassano, who has 40 years of experience in the FDNY and has held every uniformed rank, heads the world's largest fire department with more than 16,000 fire, EMS and civilian members and an annual budget of $1.6 billion. Previously, as Chief of Operations and Chief of Department, Commissioner Cassano played a crucial role in rebuilding the Department in the wake of Sept. 11 and the loss of 343 of its members.

This will be the 134th annual George Washington Birthday Ball. It is held each year to honor and celebrate the birth of the famous general and first President of the United States. Proceeds from the Ball benefit Fraunces Tavern® Museum (a museum of the American Revolution.)

For more information on Commissioner Cassano please visit the website of the New York City Fire Department at http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/general/commissioner/32/biography.shtml.

The Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, was instituted in 1876 and incorporated in 1884. For more information on it and Fraunces Tavern® Museum, visit http://sonsoftherevolution.org/ and http://frauncestavernmuseum.org/.

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