33 NEW YORK New Yorkers are used to seeing unusual things, but 36 Soldiers carrying 45 pound MOLLE packs, got a second look from even the most jaded resident, as medics assigned to the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry conducted a 6 mile ruck march through lower Manhattan on May 16.
The medics kicked off from the New York Army National Guard battalion’s historic Lexington Avenue Armory home in the early morning hours.
They headed east towards the East River and FDR Drive and the followed the highway south to the Williamsburg Bridge connecting Manhattan to Queens. They turned around and came back.
The civilians along the route looked at the Soldiers curiously and took pictures as they moved through the neighborhoods. The Soldiers told the onlookers that they were conducting training they hadn’t been able to do before due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Duty Calls: Mechanicville soldier commanding battalion
Terry Brown
FacebookTwitterEmail
New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Michael J. Hastings, accepts the unit flag of the 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion during change of command ceremonies at ceremony at Camp Smith, near Peekskill.Spc. Marla Ogden / New York Army National Guard
Lt. Col. Michael Hastings of Mechanicville, an Afghan war veteran, assumed command of the New York Army National Guard’s 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion during a ceremony at Camp Smith Training Site, Peekskill, Orange County.
The battalion, headquartered in Yonkers, has elements in Orangeburg and Peekskill. Hastings leads soldiers who specialize in handling satellite communications for military units over vast areas of operation. The unit has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. Hastings replaced Lt. Col. Ian Seagriff, who has led the battalion for the past four years.
New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Michael Hastings,assumed command of the 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion, whic his headquarterd in Yonkers, during a ceremony at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The battalion, is headquartered in Yonkers. The battalion’s Company B is located in Orangeburg and Company A is based in Peekskill. The unit specializes in handling satellite communications for military units over vast areas. The battalion has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
The change of command was held at Camp Smith because the Yonkers Armory is currently being used as a vaccine site.
Sgt. Henry Johnson recognized with mural at NY National Guard training site Photo By Spc. Angela Minardi | New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew H. Lampkins, the Command.. read moreread more Photo By Spc. Angela Minardi | New York Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew H. Lampkins, the Command Sergeant Major of the 369th Sustainment Brigade and Col. Seth L. Morgulas, Commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade, pose with Christopher Rios, who painted this mural of Sgt. Henry Johnson and New York Governor Al Smith, at Camp Smith Training Site on February 26, 2021. The mural dedicated to Sgt. Henry Johnson, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought with the 369th Infantry in World War I, decorates the newly modernized Simulations Training Building at Camp Smith. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Angela Minardi)