BUFFALO (WBEN) - As David Bellavia continues his tour around the country after receiving the Medal of Honor, one local army recruiting office says they should soon start seeing the effects of his heroic efforts right here in Western New York.
"The soldiers that have enlisted and are getting ready to leave, they were inspired," said Anthony King, who serves as the station commander of the Cheektowaga Army Recruiting Office. "They thought it was a really cool thing for him to come and do his press conference here at the office...and after getting to talk with them, they said it was a big inspiration for them to know that someone from Western New York was awarded the Medal of Honor so that they could maybe follow in his footsteps someday."
King explained that his office hasn't yet seen a spike or increase in recruitment since Bellavia received the award, but he anticipates one in the near future.
"It's absolutely amazing - it's stunning," he said. "It's not something that people seek out, it's not like a presentation or award that you get for doing your job well. It's something that you get for going completely above and beyond and doing something that probably most soldiers would do just to keep their buddies safe, so in the aspect of him saying that it's not for him, I completely agree."