Afghanistan Combat Veteran Takes Command of Morrisonville National Guard Company

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NewYork Army National Guard Captain Joseph Minning.

MORRISONVILLE, NY (10/15/2010)(readMedia)-- Captain Joseph Minning, a Clifton Park resident who is a veteran of both Afghanistan and Iraq will take command of B Company 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry on Sunday morning Oct. 17. He replaces Capt. Michael Haffner who has led the company for that last two and a half years.

WHO: Captain Joseph Minning the incoming command, Captain Michael Haffner the outgoing commander, Lt. Col. Joseph Biehler, the commander of the 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry, and the 130 members of B Company, 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry.

WHAT: A Change of Command Ceremony marking to transition from one leader to another. Lt. Col. Joseph Biehler the commander of the 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry will symbolically pass the company guidon from the outgoing to the incoming commander.

WHEN: 9 a.m., Sunday Oct. 17

WHERE: New York State Armory, Fairground Road, Morrisonville, New York, 12962

Coverage Opportunities:

There will be opportunities to interview the incoming and outgoing commanders, as well as Lt. Col. Joseph Biehler, the battalion commander. Visual opportunities include the traditional change of colors ceremony and troops in formation.

Members of the Media wishing to cover this event should contact Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Zimmerman at 518-563-9320 for access to this secure military facility.

Background:

The Change of Command:

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. The transfer of the colors marks a change in the unit and gives Soldiers their first opportunity to see and hear their new leader.

Captain Joseph Minning:

Captain Minning is from Ronkonkoma, NY. He enlisted as an infantryman in the United States Army in 1997 and after basic training at Ft. Benning, GA was assigned to 2nd of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC.

He left active duty with the rank for Sergeant in 2001 and attended Hofstra University through a Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship awarded through the Army's "Green to Gold" program which allows enlisted Soldiers to earn an ROTC commission.

He graduated and was commissioned in 2003 and joined the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion 69th Infantry as platoon leader in 2004, reporting directly to Fort Hood, Texas where the unit was mobilizing. He served in Iraq for a year with the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry . During this period the battalion was charged with securing the road between downtown Baghdad and the airport to end a spate of terrorist attacks on the route.

Upong returning from Iraq he took over the battalion's scout platoon and deployed to the Southwestern Border in support of Operation Jump Start; the use of National Guard troops to help the Board Patrol Conducts its mission. He was promotedto Captain in 2007 and in 2008 deployed to Afghanistan as a member of an Embedded Training Team working with the Afghan National Army. He has served as assistant battalions operations officer and works full-time at New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs headquarters in Latham.

Company B, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry:

Company B of the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment is comprised of nearly 130 Soldiers. Company B also have units located in Saranac Lake and Ogdensburg, NY. The unit returned from a one year deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2005. The battalion is part of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 42nd Infantry Division, New York Army National Guard.