Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958
Jennifer Chait (212) 788-8479
Matthew Buono was born on June 28, 1942 in Rosebank, on Staten Island. As a child he attended Public School 13, and went on to attend Curtis High School in the Saint George section. As a young man Matthew was extremely active in the East Shore Little League and the Saint Joseph parish baseball and sandlot football teams.
On June 27, 1967, one day short of his twenty-fifth birthday, Matthew Buono entered the United States Army. He underwent basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia before receiving artillery training at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. After his initial training, Matthew was shipped to Vietnam to fight for his country. He arrived in Vietnam on December 4, 1967 and was assigned to the First Cavalry Division. Unfortunately, four months later while in Hue Denang, Matthew was killed by a mortar blast during a strategic military offensive.
In recognition of this supreme sacrifice that Matthew Buono made for his country, it is fitting that Edgewater Street between Hylan Boulevard and Clifton Avenue be called "Matthew Buono Memorial Drive."
For the reasons previously stated, I will now sign the bill.