In its mission to take history out of the textbooks by honoring local veterans, the Hampton Bays School District paid tribute to David Agtsteribbe during a ceremony on March 21. Agtsteribbe is the 81st veteran to be honored by the district since 2011.
As part of the ceremony, held at Hampton Bays Elementary School, middle school students read Agtsteribbe’s biography and sang a piece from the musical “Frozen, Jr.” that they recently performed. Lily Schultheis also read an essay she penned as part of the Patriot’s Pen essay contest titled “My Voice in America’s Democracy.” Following the ceremony, an American flag was raised in Agtsteribbe’s honor.
Agtsteribbe always knew he wanted to be involved with the military, and following high school graduation, he enlisted in the Army at Fort Hamilton, New York. Like so many young men from Long Island who served in the Army, his next stop was the famous Tank Hill at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training. He knew he had found his calling. His next assignment was to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the home of the infantry. Here, the Army recognized his talents, patriotism and commitment to excellence, so they recruited him for more advanced training in specialized warfare and prepared him to become an American warrior.
At Fort Bragg, he attended the Advanced Infantry Training Airborne and Special Warfare Center. He was sent to Fort Ord in California for desert training, followed by arctic training at Fort Richardson in Alaska. By the middle of 1987, he had earned the coveted U.S. Army Ranger badge.
He was now able to make a serious contribution to America’s defense by completing Officer Candidate School, graduating as a second lieutenant, and volunteering for the First Special Forces Operations Combat Application Group. This organization is unofficially referred to as “Delta Team,” made famous by the movies starring Chuck Norris. While in this command, he had several missions, but the most significant was in December 1989 with the U.S. invasion of Panama. During the invasion, Agtsteribbe volunteered for a special mission, Operation Acid Gambit, to assist the CIA in rescuing an American operative being held by the Panamanian government. While the mission was a success, Agtsteribbe was wounded and held as a prisoner of war in Castello Modelo in Panama.
His next assignment was with the Presidential Protection Unit charged with protecting U.S. politicians. In 1991, he was assigned to New York Senator Alfonse D’Amato, who was a member of the Terrorist Task Force. While accompanying the senator on a Middle East assignment, Agtsteribbe was seriously wounded. In 1993, he was honorably discharged with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Agtsteribbe is the recipient of two Purple Hearts, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Presidential Service Ribbon, the Distinguished Service Cross and the Prisoner of War Medal.
As a civilian, Agtsteribbe led a security team to protect high-profile individuals. He was involved with New York State, working in the aftermath of the post-9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. For his contributions, he was awarded the New York State Conspicuous Service Medal, Conspicuous Star, Conspicuous Cross and Medal of Merit. He performed his last contribution to the defense of the U.S. by apprehending a known terrorist who was subsequently imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay until 2016.
In addition to his career as the president and founder of the largest credit card processing company on the East Coast, he finds time to support many volunteer organizations, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign War, the Kiwanis, the Rotary, the U.S. Military Order of the Purple Heart and more.
Agtsteribbe and his wife, Mary, of 20 years have three children and live in Hampton Bays. The Hampton Bays School District recognizes him for his commitment to his country, family and our community.
To read Agtsteribbe’s full bio, please click here.
Date Added: 3/24/2025