Cole Yager of Schodack is following his dad's and granddad's Navy footsteps.

His dad, Michael Yager of Castleton, a retired Navy lieutenant commander, led his son in saying the Oath of Office during a commissioning ceremony May 23 at the Experimental Media Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.

Brothers Alec Yager and Naval ROTC Cadet Jacob Yager placed ensign shoulder boards on Cole's uniform.

His mother, Christina Yager, placed an ensign cover (hat) on Cole. Afterward, his grandfather, Karl Yager of Troy, a retired electronics machinist chief (submarine service) in a Navy uniform, saluted Cole. He then gave his granddad a traditional silver dollar for rendering the first salute.

Cole's grandmother, Sandra Yager also attended the ceremony.

The 2010 Maple Hill High School graduate was commissioned upon completion of a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program and graduation from RPI with a bachelor degree in nuclear engineering.

The new officer has been assigned for further training at the Navy Nuclear School at Charleston, S.C. Afterward, he said he hopes to return to the Capital Region for nuclear training at a facility in West Milton.

This year's commission ceremony is somewhat a dress rehearsal for Cole's brother, Jacob, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering, and a Naval ROTC cadet.

His father began his Navy career right after he graduated from Troy High School in 1985. He served as an enlisted sailor for four years until became a Naval ROTC cadet at RPI while a student at The College of Saint Rose in Albany.

After he was commissioned as an ensign, Michael became an a P-3 Orion anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft pilot. He served aboard the USS Enterprise for a time, and on the ground in the Iraq War in 2008 and 2009.

He earned a Meritorious Service Medal, three Navy Commendation Medals and a Joint Service Achievement Medal before he retired after 20 years of service.

Afterward he became a plant operations and training manager at Momentive, Waterford.

After Karl graduated from Catholic Central High School in Troy in 1958 he enlisted in the Navy. He served aboard both diesel and nuclear powered submarines. He received an associate degree in from the University of South Carolina. He earned four Navy Good Conduct Medals.

After retiring from the Navy, he went to work as a salesman and factory representative for Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche.

Other cadets commissioned as ensigns are Stephen Bennett of Hershey, Pa., William Gregory of Monument, Colo., Patrick Holzlein of Jackson, N.J., Harrison Kane of Ossining, Westchester County, Matthew Karamanlis of Urbandale, Iowa, Andrew Kriley of Renfrew, Pa., Eric Lamoureux of Dover, N.H., Joseph Mazzuca of Fultonville, Montgomery County, Atticus Moll of Farmington, Conn., Matthew Monaco of Huntsville, Ala., John Page of McHenry, Ill., Michael Pizzari of Syracuse, Joseph Tripodo of Orange County, and Jeanette Zeeb of Las Vegas.

Read Adm. Dixon R. Smith, commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, was guest speaker and commissioned most of the cadets.

Clarkson ROTC

Cadets Taylor Mextorf of Albany and Kevin O'Connor of Duanesburg were commissioned as Army second lieutenants upon completion of a Reserve Officer Training Corps Program and graduation from Clarkson University, Potsdam.

Mextorf earned a bachelor degree in history and literature.

O'Connor received a bachelor degree in global supply chain management.

War dead online

The names of more than 37,000 New Yorkers who gave their lives in World War II can now be searched online thanks to the New York State Military Museum and a dedicated cadre of volunteers.

The information can be viewed online here: http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/wwii/wwii_HonorList/wwii_dead.htm

It can also be downloaded into a searchable Excel spreadsheet.

A typical entry includes the servicemembers name, service number, branch of service, how they died — killed in action, non-battle death or died of wounds — the date they died, where they are buried and, in some instances, next-of-kin information. There are no service numbers available for Navy and Marine Corps deaths.

A researcher seeking to find New Yorkers who died on D-Day, June 6, 1944, for example, can identify service members who died on that date to begin their search.

The two source books for information on World War II deaths – the Army's "World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing" and the Navy's "State Summary of War Casualties" — can be viewed online as a PDF at the National Archives website. But those documents are not searchable and the names are not available in a digital format, said Jim Gandy, the assistant librarian and archivist at the New York State Military Museum.

New airmen

Air Force Airman Hayden Patrick Carney of Averill Park and Airman Matthew T. Pohl of Clifton Park have graduated from basic training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio.

News of your troops and units can be sent to Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Times Union, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or brownt@timesunion.com.