Afghan War Vet Takes Command of Binghamton Engineer Battalion on Sunday

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Lt. Col. James Freehart greets members of the 827th Engineer Company as they return from Afghanistan on Feb. 18.

BINGHAMTON, NY (03/04/2011)(readMedia)-- Lt. Col. James Freehart, a veteran of Afghanistan, will take command of the New York Army National Guard's 204th Engineer Battalion during a traditional Change-of-Command Ceremony on Sunday, March 6 at the New York State Armory here.

WHO: Lt. Col. James Freehart, (incoming commander), Major Andrew Hutz, (outgoing acting-commander), and Lt. Col Jim Pabis, the new commander of the 153rd Troop Command ( the presiding officer) and the men and women of the 204th Engineer Battalion.

WHAT: Traditional Change-of-Command Ceremony in which the colors (flag) of the 204th Engineer Battalion are transferred from Major Hutz to Lt. Col. Freehart, signifying the change of command to the Soldiers of the battalion.

WHEN: 1 p.m., Sunday , March 6, 2011

WHERE: New York State Armory, 85 West End Avenue, Binghamton, NY

Coverage Opportunities:

Imagery of Soldiers in formation and the transfer of the battalion flag from Major Hutz, to Lt. Col. Pabis and then to Lt. Col. Freehart. There will be opportunities to interview Lt. Col. Freehart and other participants about the mission of the 204th Engineer Battalion.

Members of the media seeking to attend this event should contact Major Erik Stevens at 518-810-8014 for access to this secure military facility.

BACKGROUND:

The Change of Command Ceremony:

The Change of Command Ceremony dates back to the days in which a military unit's flag marked its position in the line of battle. The colors were always near the commander, so troops knew where to rally on the battlefield. Today the transfer of the colors marks a change in the unit and givens the soldiers their first opportunity to see and hear their new leader.

The change of command ceremony recognizes the accomplishments of the outgoing commander and the Soldiers who served under him. In addition, the ceremony identifies the new commander to the Soldiers, so they can follow him on the field of battle.

Lt. Col. James Freehart:

Freehart, who has served in the Active Army and Army National Guard served in Afghanistan as a member of the Training Advisory Group, training the Afghan National Army in 2008. In 1983 he was part of Operation Urgent Fury, the United States invasion of the Caribbean Island of Granada.

Freehart enlisted in the United States Army in 1981 as a helicopter repair technician and served on active duty with the 82nd Airborne Division and in Korea before leaving the Active Army in 1987. He enlisted in the New York Army National Guard after leaving active duty and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Infantry in 1989 after completing the Officer Candidate School of the Empire State Military Academy.

He has served as a rifle platoon leader, anti-armor platoon leader, infantry company executive officer, support platoon leader and headquarters company commander. He has served as a staff officer at the State Area Command and Joint Forces Headquarters for New York during his career as well.

As operations officer for the 204th Engineers, Freehart deployed to Germany for training exercises and responded to flooding in the Southern Tier in 2006

The 204th Engineer Battalion:

The 204th is the only Engineer Battalion in the New York Army National Guard and plays a key role in the New York National Guard's plans in responding to emergencies at the direction of the governor.

The battalion headquarters company and forward support companies, and the battalion's quarry detachment, are based at the Binghamton Armory. The battalion has subordinate companies in Kingston in the Hudson Valley, Walton, Horseheads and Buffalo.

The 827th Engineer Company, based in Horseheads and Walton just returned from a year long mobilization and deployment to Afghanistan. That company specializes in repairing roads.

The 152nd Engineer Company in Buffalo is specially trained in the skills needed to rescue victims from a destroyed building, along with basic combat engineer tasks.

The 1156th Engineer Company in the Hudson Valley specializes in vertical engineering; the construction of buildings and other basic facilities.