Navy Lt. Timothy M. Cestaro, son of Eileen M. and Louis J. Cestaro of Massapequa, and approximately 400 Sailors were mobilized and deployed to the Middle East while assigned to Navy Expeditionary Logistics Sup­port Group (NAVELSG) Forward Hotel homebased at Yorktown Naval Weapons Station-Cheatham Annex, Williamsburg, Virginia.Cestaro's unit deployed to relieve Navy Customs Battalion Tango to perform customs inspection missions in Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). NAVELSG Hotel will help ensure returning military equipment conforms to U.S. Department of Agriculture standards and ensure all gear return­ing with personnel serving abroad in support of OIF complies with U.S. Customs regulations. NAVELSG is a component of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC). NECC is a global force provider of adaptive force packages of expeditionary capa­bilities to joint warfighting command­ers. NECC serves as a single functional command to centrally manage the current and future readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of the Navy Expeditionary Force.

Cestaro is a 1998 graduate of Chami­nade High School of Mineola and joined the Navy in May 2002.