HYDE PARK – Dozens gathered at the Henry Wallace Visitor’s Center at the FDR Presidential Library on Saturday as 97-year-old Ralph Osterhoudt Sr. was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame by Senator Michelle Hinchey (D-41).
Osterhoudt is a lifelong resident of Staatsburg and served as a Ground Observer at the age of 15. The Ground Observer Corps was a WW II-era Civil Defense program operated by the US Army Air Force. He was tasked with reporting potential enemy aircraft in the vicinity of FDR’s residence, where he was inducted on Saturday.
As a senior at FDR High School in Hyde Park in 1944, Osterhoudt was drafted by the Army to serve in WW II. He served in Scotland, France, and Germany in the 575th Field Artillery Battalion. Osterhoudt’s place in history was cemented when he was one of the first 30 liberators of Auschwitz. The soldier also shelled Nazi-held bridges and fuel depots during the Battle of the Bulge. He received the French Medal of Honor, three Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart for his actions during the war.
Hinchey noted that Osterhoudt’s induction to the hall was an easy choice, given his constant efforts on behalf of veterans, including winning a battle against the closing of the Castle Point VA Hospital.
“Risking one’s life for their country is an inherently selfless and remarkably brave level of service that few will ever know,” said Hinchey of Osterhoudt. “He has a legacy of service to his country and his community.”
“Mr. Osterhoudt is larger than life,” said Dutchess County Veterans Services Director Adam Roche. “He is the true definition of an American hero and it’s an honor just to be in his presence.”
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