New York J 1131: Posthumously honoring the life and service of United States Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant Eugene J. Darrigan who was laid to rest in his hometown of Wappingers Falls, New York, on May 24, 2025

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 - This bill is not active in this session.

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
J01131 Summary:

BILL NOJ01131 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORROLISON

&nbsp

COSPNSRADDABBO, ASHBY, BAILEY, BASKIN, BORRELLO, BRISPORT, BROUK, BYNOE, CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK, CHAN,
 CLEARE, COMRIE, COONEY, FAHY, FERNANDEZ, GALLIVAN, GIANARIS, GONZALEZ, GOUNARDES, GRIFFO, HARCKHAM,
 HELMING, HINCHEY, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, JACKSON, KAVANAGH, KRUEGER, LANZA, LIU, MARTINEZ, MARTINS,
 MATTERA, MAY, MAYER, MURRAY, MYRIE, OBERACKER, O'MARA, ORTT, PALUMBO, PARKER, PERSAUD, RAMOS,
 RHOADS, RIVERA, RYAN C, RYAN S, SALAZAR, SANDERS, SCARCELLA-SPANTON, SEPULVEDA, SERRANO, SKOUFIS,
 STAVISKY, STEC, STEWART-COUSINS, SUTTON, TEDISCO, WALCZYK, WEBB, WEBER, WEIK

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

&nbsp

Go to top J01131 Actions:

BILL NOJ01131 

&nbsp

05/29/2025REFERRED TO FINANCE

06/05/2025REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

06/05/2025ADOPTED

Go to topJ01131 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topJ01131 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topJ01131 Text:

Assembly Resolution No. 715

BY: M. of A. Beephan

 POSTHUMOUSLY honoring the life and service of
 United States Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant Eugene
 J. Darrigan who was laid to rest in his hometown of
 Wappingers Falls, New York, on May 24, 2025, more
 than eight decades after his death in World War II

 WHEREAS, Members of the Armed Services from the State of New York,
who have served so valiantly and honorably in wars in which this
country's freedom was at stake, as well as in the preservation of peace
in peacetime, deserve a special salute from this Legislative Body; and

 WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
honor the memory and sacrifice of those who served with courage and
distinction in our nation's armed forces; and

 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Eugene J. Darrigan, a proud native son of
the Village of Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County, New York, served with
great bravery as a radio operator in the United States Army Air Forces
during World War II; and

 WHEREAS, On March 11, 1944, while serving aboard the B-24 bomber
"Heaven Can Wait," Staff Sergeant Darrigan and 10 fellow crew members
were tragically killed in action when their aircraft was struck by enemy
fire and crashed off the coast of New Guinea; and

 WHEREAS, For 81 years, the remains of the "Heaven Can Wait" crew
were deemed unrecoverable, lost in the depths of the Pacific Ocean; and

 WHEREAS, Through the extraordinary efforts of Project Recover-a
nonprofit organization dedicated to locating and returning missing
American service members-in partnership with the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) and researchers from the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, the wreckage of the aircraft was located in 2017 following
an extensive underwater search; and

 WHEREAS, In 2023, the DPAA launched its deepest-ever underwater
recovery mission, deploying elite Navy divers in a pressurized bell to
recover remains and artifacts from the crash site over 200 feet below
the ocean's surface; and

 WHEREAS, Among the recovered items were dog tags bearing the name of
Staff Sergeant Eugene J. Darrigan, linking the remains to this heroic
airman and restoring his place in history; and

 WHEREAS, On May 24, 2025, Staff Sergeant Eugene J. Darrigan was
finally laid to rest with full military honors in his hometown of
Wappingers Falls, with more than 200 members of the community, family,
and fellow citizens paying their respects; and

 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Eugene J. Darrigan left behind a loving
wife, Florence Schindler, and a young son, Thomas D. Schindler, both of
whom have since passed; he is survived by grandchildren and extended

family members, including his niece, Virginia Pineiro, who solemnly
accepted the folded flag in his honor; and

 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Eugene J. Darrigan's return home represents
a profound and long-awaited homecoming, not only for his family, but for
the grateful community of Wappingers Falls and the nation he served;
now, therefore, be it

 RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor United States Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant Eugene J. Darrigan
posthumously, recognizing his selfless service, supreme sacrifice, and
long-overdue return, and to express the heartfelt gratitude of the
people of New Yo