VA HJR139

Command Sergeant Major Mitchell L. Rubenstein, USA, Ret., of Edinburg, Virginia, passed away on November 4, 2025, and the General Assembly honors his life and service

Served in the U.S. Army beginning December 1980, including deployment to Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 as an explosives detection dog handler, and continued in the Army Reserve until retiring in March 2002

Received numerous military decorations including the Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Award with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and Army Achievement Award with one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster

Served 21 years with the Hempstead Police Department in New York as a defensive tactics instructor, training officer, and motorcycle patrol officer

Active in the Edinburg community as a youth sports coach, hunter's safety program instructor, and leader in local veterans organizations; survived by wife Suzanne and children Casey and Sidney