Binghamton NY National Guard battalion conducts Change of Command on Saturday, June 27

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Lt. Col. Brandon Gendron

BINGHAMTON, NY (06/25/2020) (readMedia)-- The New York Army National Guard's 204th Engineer Battalion, which is headquartered in Binghamton, will change commanders during a ceremony on Saturday, June 27.

Lt. Col. Brandon Gendron will replace Lt. Col. Wing Yu who has commanded the battalion since 2017. Members of the press are invited to cover the change of command, which will be modified to comply with social distancing rules.

WHO: Lt. Col. Brandon Gendron, the incoming commander; Lt. Col. Wing Yu, the outgoing commander, Col. Jamey Barcomb, the commander of the 153rd Troop Command, and leaders and Soldiers of the 204th Engineer Battalion.

WHAT: A traditional military change-of-command in which the battalion flag, or colors, is transferred from the outgoing to the incoming commander. Since the colors followed the unit commander into battle the ceremony allowed the unit Soldiers to see who would lead them.

The ceremony will be modified with fewer people present and with only one person representing each of the battalion's companies instead of the traditional formation of massed units.

The battalion has elements in Horseheads, Walton, Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill, Kingston, and Buffalo. It is one of two engineer battalions in the New York Army National Guard.

WHEN: 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, 2020

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

Coverage Opportunities:

Interviews with the incoming and outgoing commander and video and still imagery of the ceremony.

Reporters seeking to cover the ceremony must contact Major Kevin O'Reilly at 607-763-3104 for access to this secure military facility. Because of COVID-19 precautions members of the press must be prepared to answer health questions and have their temperature taken to access the building.

BACKGROUND

Lt. Col. Brandon Gendron:

Lt. Col. Brandon Gendron, a full-time National Guard officer who currently serves as the New York Army National Guard's state training officer, will take command of the battalion, which has elements in Horseheads, Walton, Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill, Kingston, and Buffalo.

Gendron, a resident of Simsbury, Connecticut was commissioned as an Engineer Officer in June 2004.

His assignments have included command of the Headquarters and Service Company of the 204th Engineer Battalion; Commander of Company D, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry; fire support officer for the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, personnel officer and operations officer for the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery and executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry and the 106th Regional Training Institute. He has deployed to Kuwait.

He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the State University of New York at Buffalo. He also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Nichols College.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge. He has been honored with the Field Artillery Order of St. Barbara and the Infantry Order of Saint Maurice for accomplishment.

Gendron and his wife Suzanne have an 8-year old daughter, Kyleigh, and a 3-year old son, Jack.

Lt. Col. Wing Yu:

Yu is a full-time National Guard officer and a veteran of the Afghan War and served as an enlisted Soldier after joining the New York Army National Guard in 1987. He was commissioned in 1994.

His next assignment is to serve as the executive officer for the 153rd Troop command.

He served on active duty with the 2nd Infantry Division, the 1st Infantry Division, and the 10th Mountain Division before rejoining the New York Army National Guard in 1999.

Yu has served in a number of leadership positions and has deployed to Kuwait as well as Afghanistan. From 2016 to 2017 he was assigned as liaison to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum to stand up a new National Guard element-the Main Command Post Operational Detachment – which provides Guard and Reserve Soldiers to fill out positions in the division headquarters.

Yu holds a degree in Avionics from Vaugh College of Aeronautics and Technology, a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master's Degree in Environmental Technology from the New York Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the NATO Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal and the Airborne Badge.