Averill Park man takes charge of 3,000-member Naval Militia during Friday, Nov. 3 ceremony

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Rear Admiral Michael Perry

LATHAM, NY (11/02/2023) (readMedia)-- New York Naval Militia Rear Admiral Michael Perry, an Averill Park resident, will take command of the 3,000-member Naval Militia, during a Friday, Nov. 3 ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham.

Members of the press are invited to attend the ceremony.

WHO: Rear Admiral Michael Perry, the incoming commander; Rear Admiral Lawrence Weill, the outgoing commander; Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York; and men and women of the New York Naval Militia.

WHAT: A traditional naval change of command ceremony, in which Weill will turn over command of the force to Perry. Shields will preside over the ceremony. The ceremony will involve the reading of orders and brief remarks from the incoming and outgoing commanders.

WHEN: 12 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3, 2023.

WHERE: New York National Guard headquarters, 330 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham

Coverage Opportunities:

The press will be able to capture still and video images of the ceremony. Interviews with the incoming and outgoing commanders will be available.

Members of the press must contact the Division of Military and Naval Affairs Public Affairs Office at 518-786-4581 for access to this secure military facility.

BACKGROUND

The New York Naval Militia:

The New York Naval Militia was created in 1891 as a seagoing version of the National Guard in the days before there was a Navy Reserve.

Most members of the New York Naval Militia serve in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Reserve as well and use their skills and experience honed serving in these federal forces for the behalf of New Yorkers while on state active duty.

The New York Naval Milita operates a fleet of 11 patrol boats which work in support of local, state, and federal agencies. Over 400 Naval Militia members are currently serving on state active duty assisting in the state's efforts to house the over 100,000 migrants which have entered New York since 2022.

Several hundred more served during the New York Military Forces response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the New York Naval Militia served during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and in World War I. In between World Wars I and II, the state naval militias were recognized by the federal government and regulated by the Navy. The New York Naval Militia's Marine Corps detachment predates the created of the Marine Corps Reserve by four months.

Following the Korean War, state law governing the Naval Militia was changed so that the bulk of Naval Militia members were concurrently members of the Marine Corps and Navy Reserve. Since 1998, members of the Coast Guard Reserve have also been able to serve in the Naval Militia.

REAR ADMIRAL (ONE-STAR) MICHAEL PERRY

Rear Admiral Michael Perry received a direct commission into the Supply Corps of the Navy Reserve as an ensign in 1991 and joined the New York Naval Militia that year.

While serving in the Navy Reserve, Perry held jobs as the executive officer for a Navy cargo handling battalion, commanding officer of a supply management team; the commander of two fleet industrial supply detachments, and commander of the Navy Reserve Defense Contract Management Agency, Boston. He also served as commander of the Naval Reserve Sealift Command, Supply Chain Support unit in Norfolk.

His active duty assignments included director of the Joint Movement Center for U.S. Navy Central Command; Joint Reserve Force Commander and Mobilization Assistant to the Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency; and Commercial Industry Branch Chief for United States Transportation Command.

In civilian life, he worked for the New York State Thruway Authority and retired in 2016. He retired from the Navy Reserve in 2019.

He holds bachelors, and master's degrees in public administration from the State University of New York, Albany. He also earned a Master's in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

He lives in Averill Park with his wife Nancy.

REAR ADMIRAL (ONE-STAR) LAWRENCE WEILL

Rear Admiral Lawrence Weill was commissioned into the Navy in June of 1982 after graduating from Officer Candidate School at Newport, Rhode Island. He served aboard the USS Concord.

His other Navy Reserve assignments included as the gaining command liaison office - the Navy Reserve officer in charge - for four ships. He served as the commanding officer of Assault Craft Unit two, commanding officer of Naval Surface Group Mediterranean 105, and as the deputy commander of Task Group 63 in Naples, Italy.

His last assignment before retiring in 2008 was at the Navy Historical Center in Washington D.C.

He has been a member of the New York Naval Militia since 1986.

His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Weill holds a bachelor's degree from Hartwick College and a master's degree from Rochester Institute of Technology.

He retired from Xerox Corporation as a senior logistics analyst.

He is married to Patricia Weill, who is a senior quality engineer specializing in software systems.

They have two daughters, Kelly, and Erin, and two grandsons, Callum, and Ronan