Grisanti Names Kelly Carrigg 'Veteran Of The Month'

New York State Senator Mark Grisanti recently named Kelly Carrigg as the seventh recipient of his "Veteran of the Month" recognition program.

A resident of the Town of Hamburg who served with the 82nd Airborne Division, Carrigg is the seventh recipient of a monthly honor presented by Senator Grisanti following an application and nomination process coordinated by staff members in Grisanti's veterans liaison office.

"I am pleased to recognize Lieutenant Colonel Carrigg with this honor," said Senator Grisanti, a member of the New York State Senate's Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committees. "Her career of distinguished service is very impressive and her current community involvement is admirable. Now working as a school teacher, she is an ideal role model for our young people."

A native of Buffalo, Kelly M. Carrigg graduated from Canisius College in 1989 with a Bachelor's degree in history and French and received her commission as a Second Lieutenant from Canisius' ROTC program. She was a colony member of the AOTT Nu Delta Chapter, established in 1997, at Canisius.

 Originally trained as an Ordnance officer, LTC (Ret) Carrigg has served in numerous operational posts as a logistician. She began her career in Kitzingen , Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division where she served as a maintenance platoon leader, shop officer and maintenance officer from 1989 to 1993.  Afterwards, she joined the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina where she served as an assistant S3 for the Division Support Command, a heavy maintenance company commander in the 782nd Main Support Battalion and the deputy for the Division Materiel Management Center.

 In 1997, LTC (Ret) Carrigg began her studies for a Masters Degree in French at the State University of New York at Buffalo.  Upon graduation in 1999, she was assigned to the United States Military Academy at West Point where she taught French and also served as the Executive Officer for the Department of Foreign Languages.  LTC (Ret) Carrigg returned to Ft. Bragg in 2002 where she held the positions of Secretary to the General Staff for the 1st Corps Support Command and Executive Officer for the Troop Support Battalion.

In 2004, she moved to the XVIII Airborne Corps G4, Supply and Services Section, and deployed with the Corps staff to Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004 to 2006.  LTC (Ret) Carrigg assumed duties as the TRADOC Liaison Officer to the French Army in June 2006 where she was stationed  at the French Doctrine Center for Forces Deployment at Ecole Militaire in Paris, France.

She concluded her tour of duty in July 2009 and retired from the Army after 20 years of service on 1 August 2009. LTC (Ret) Carrigg is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. She is a Jumpmaster and a Master Parachutist with 69 static line jumps; she has earned foreign jump wings from the British, Germans and French. She also maintained a 3/3 proficiency level in French on the Defense Language Proficiency Test. LTC (Ret) Carrigg's awards and decorations include: the Army Achievement Medal, The Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. While in Paris, LTC (Ret) Carrigg served as Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Benjamin Franklin Post, #605 from 2007 to 2009.

She spearheaded the first ever VFW European Convention in France in 2008 which brought members together from Spain, France, Germany and Italy. In July 2009, LTC (Ret) Carrigg moved home to Hamburg. She is currently a French teacher at Saint Francis High School in Athol Springs.  LTC (Ret) Carrigg has recently served as the Junior Vice Commander and Trustee for the Charles N. DeGlopper  Memorial VFW Post # 9249 in Grand Island, as well as a trustee for the Erie County VFW.  In June 2010, she led a trip for veterans to Normandy, France to commemorate the late PFC Charles N. DeGlopper, a native of Grand Island who was then the only recipient of the Medal of Honor from the 82nd Airborne Division during the D-Day Campaign in June 1944.

In July 2012, LTC (Ret) Carrigg led a group of WNYers to Normandy, France to attend the dedication of a memorial to the late Father Ignatius Maternowski, a Franciscan Chaplain/Paratrooper from the 508th PIR 82nd Airborne Division who gave his life on D-Day. Father Maternowski was a member of the first graduating class of Saint Francis High School in 1931. Last month she led another tour of Western New York residents to Normandy to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The daughter of the late Paul and Colleen Carrigg, LTC (Ret) Carrigg is an avid traveler and a competitive ballroom dancer with Fred Astaire Studios.

For more information about Senator Grisanti's "Veteran of the Month" recognition program, including how you can nominate someone for the honor, visit www.senatormarkgrisanti.com and click on the "Veterans" tab.