- November 22, 2024
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Former Veterans Service Officer, Salvatore “Sal” A. Rutigliano, who served local veterans for 16 years, reportedly died at home on Aug. 17. He was 75.
“Sal was a great and respected veteran,” said current Veterans Service Officer David Lydon. "He made a lasting impact on the county’s veteran community in so many ways, and was still serving veterans as the American Legion Post 115 Service Officer. I had huge shoes to fill when I was hired after Sal’s retirement. He is already missed.”
Rutigliano, a retired sergeant major with the Connecticut Army National Guard, moved to Palm Coast and was hired by Flagler County in June 2000 to head Veterans Services. He retired in November 2016.
“One thing that many people don’t know is that he was instrumental in getting the Veterans Memorial installed in front of the Government Services Building,” said American Legion Cmdr. David Hammond, noting that Rutigliano was a 26-year member of the organization. “He along with Billy Jones created a program called ‘Veterans in the Classroom’ where they would go into classrooms and talk about what it means to be a veteran. He did that until he retired.”
Commissioner Charlie Ericksen spoke fondly of his friend.
“Sal was a good man,” he said. “Ask him a question and if he didn’t know the answer, he’d get you the answer — even if it meant calling all the way to the Pentagon.”
He was people-oriented and keen on preserving military history.
“Often the family wouldn’t know what to do with the artifacts when a veteran would die, and he would recommend that they donate them to the Flagler County Historical Society,” said local historian Sisco Deen. “He was always very helpful.”
Rutigliano received a Certificate of Excellence in November 2006 from the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs District IV for his work and assistance with the Blue Star Memorial Marker program. The National Garden Clubs in affiliation garden clubs across the country erects memorial plaques surrounded by attractive planting material along designated highways in honor of the Armed Forces of the United States of America.
Details of the funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
