Clifton Park resident Lt. Col. Patrick Clare takes command of Syracuse-based National Guard Battalion

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Lt. Col. Patrick Clare (left) accepts the flag of the 427th Brigade Support Battalion from Col. Joseph Biehler, commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade during ceremonies on Sept. 12, 2015.

SYRACUSE, NY (09/16/2015)(readMedia)--   New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Patrick G. Clare, a Clifton Park resident and Iraq War veteran took command of the  427th Brigade Support Battalion, which is headquartered at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Clare replaced  Lt. Col. Scott Jessop, who is now serving as  deputy commander of the 153rd Troop Command in Buffalo, during a traditional Change of Command ceremony presided over by Col. Joseph Biehler, commadner of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

The 427th Brigade Support Command handles the logistical support for the 4,000 Soldiers of the New York National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade Combat team. The brigade is headquartered in Syracuse but has units located across New York from Farmingdale on Long Island to Jamestown in Chataqua County.

Clare is originally from Weedsport, where he still has family, and graduated from Jordan-Eldridge High School.

Clare joined the New York Army National Guard as an enlisted Soldiers in the 1st Battalion, 108th Infantry in Auburn in 1994. He earned his commission through the New York Army National Guard Officer Candidate School program in 2000.

Clare has served in leadership positions at the company, battalion and division level, and in a number of staff assignments.

He deployed to Iraq in 2004/2005 as the transportation officer for the 42nd Infantry Division in Tikrit. In 2011 in deployed to Kuwait as brigade logistics officer for the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He has served as the executive officer for the 427th Brigade Support Battalion and as the logistics officer for the 42nd Infantry Division in Troy.

Clare is a full-time employ of the New York National Guard, serving as a civilian technician responsible for Army National Guard vehicle maintenance throughout New York. He will continue to work full-time in that position while serving as the traditional Guard Soldier commander of the 427th.

Clare holds a bachelor's of science from Nyack College and is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College.

His awards include the Bronze Star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.

He and his wife Nichol have a son, Ryan, and a daughter, Michaela.