Carl Valone was a 44-year-old correctional officer at Attica Correctional Facility who died on September 13, 1971. He had been taken hostage on September 9 when inmates seized large parts of the prison during a protest over conditions. Four days later, state police and correctional officers moved in to retake the facility after Governor Nelson Rockefeller ordered a forced assault.

During the retaking, heavy gunfire killed Valone, nine other hostages, and 29 inmates. Initial official statements claimed hostages had their throats cut, but autopsies showed the hostages, including Valone, were killed by bullets fired by the officers sent to restore order. Investigations such as the McKay Commission documented the events, and the families of slain officers, including Valone’s widow Maryann and their four children, long sought recognition and justice.

No state trooper or correctional officer was convicted for the hostages’ deaths; only one trooper faced a reckless endangerment indictment that was later dropped. Does anyone have memories of Carl Valone or information that could shed more light on his life and death?