A Korean War veteran, he retired from the Connecticut Army National Guard in 1983 at the rank of brigadier general after 23 years of service.

[5][6] In the 1970 election for State Comptroller, he defeated Democratic nominee Julius Kremski of New Britain by 536,875 votes to 521,178 votes—a margin of about 3%.

However, Nixon's letter accompanying the commendation praised Agostinelli for his "courageous action" and "forthright, strong-hearted gesture" in ripping the flag away from the protestors.

Agostinelli was serving as a major in the Connecticut Army National Guard and was campaigning for State Comptroller at the time of the incident.

[10][14] The American Civil Liberties Union condemned Agostinelli's actions as showing "a total disregard for the law".

[15] Agostinelli reportedly received hundreds of phone calls and telegrams praising his actions, including a message from the mayor of Minneapolis.

In May 1971, a federal circuit court struck down as unconstitutional a Connecticut state statute making it a criminal offense to "carry or display a red flag or any other emblem as a symbol calculated to [.