Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer recently joined with Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez to rename the corner of 11th Avenue and 3rd Street in West Babylon in honor of the late Joseph K. Osman, a Vietnam Veteran who received both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for his service. A ceremony was held to dedicate Joseph K. Osman Memorial Way with members of Osman’s family, friends and neighbors in attendance, as well as representatives from the West Babylon Fire Department and New York State Assemblyman Joseph Saladino.
Osman, a 40 year resident of West Babylon, was a decorated officer in the United States Navy who received the honors of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, as well as the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for his service in helping South Vietnamese forces while deployed with River Division 554 in 1969. His service was detailed in a New York Daily News article from July 1969 that reported his heroic actions during a firefight with North Vietnamese forces while on river patrol.
Following his retirement from the Navy in 1971, Osman worked as a New York State Court Officer and Senior Court Clerk for the Suffolk County Family Court in Hauppauge for over twenty years. Joseph K. Osman passed away on July 28th, 2012 and was laid to rest with full military honors at Calverton National Cemetery.
Pictured with members of the Osman family and friends are Deputy Supervisor Martinez (left), Assemblyman Saladino (third from left) and Supervisor Schaffer (right).
