Clifton Park resident Patrick Clare promoted to one-star general on Friday, May 30 at NY National Guard HQ

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Colonel Patrick Clare

LATHAM, NY (05/29/2025) (readMedia)-- New York National Guard Colonel Patrick Clare, a Clifton Park resident, will be promoted to brigadier general (one-star) during a Friday afternoon ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham.

Members of the press are invited to attend the ceremony.

WHO: Col. Patrick Clare, Major General Jack James, the commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, Soldiers and leaders of the New York National Guard.

WHAT: Clare, who previously served as the Chief of Staff of the New York Army National Guard and as commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade, will be promoted to the rank of brigadier general. He now serves as the Assistant Division Command for Support for the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division.

WHEN: 2 p.m., Friday, May 30, 2024

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

Coverage Opportunities:

Video and still imagery of the promotion ceremony and an opportunity to interview Clare.

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

BACKGOUND

Col. Patrick Clare, a veteran of the Iraq War, serves as the Deputy Commander for Support for the 42nd Infantry Division. In this role, he is responsible the logistics support for the division's six brigades.

He previously served as the Chief of Staff of the New York Army National Guard and the commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade.

Clare enlisted in the New York National Guard in 1994 as a truck driver and became an officer in 2000 after completing Officer Candidate School.

Clare has served in numberous logistics positions, including forward support battalion company commander, forward support battalion commander, brigade logistics officer, Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics for the 42nd Infantry Division, deputy commander of the 53rd Troop Command, and Joint Force Headquarters logistics officer.

He deployed to Iraq in 2004/2005 as the transportation officer for the 42nd Infantry Division in Tikrit. In 2011, he deployed to Kuwait as brigade logistics officer for the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He deployed to Kuwait as the chief logistics officer for the 42nd Infantry Division in 2020.

He also responded to New York City in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Clare is a 2002 Graduate of Nyack College with a BS in Business Administration and a 2019 graduate of the U.S. Army War College with a master's in strategic studies.

His awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

He resides in Clifton Park with his wife Nicole, their son Ryan, and daughter, Michaela.

The 42nd Infantry Division

The 42nd Infantry Division is one of eight divisions in the Army National Guard and one of 19 in the United States Army. The division, headquartered in Troy, New York, compromises nearly 5,000 Soldiers in the New York Army National Guard and nearly 15,000 Soldiers in other states.

The 42nd Infantry Division was formed during World War I when National Guard units from 26 states were organized into a single division to go to France quickly in the fall of 1917. The division got its nickname "The Rainbow Division" because then Col. Douglas MacArthur, the division chief of staff, said it would stretch across the country "like a Rainbow."

The division's Soldiers distinguished themselves during the major battles of World War I.

During World War II, the division was a draftee division. The division's Soldiers fought across southern Germany and captured Wurzburg, Schweinfurt, and Munich, and liberated the Dachau concentration camp.

Since 1947, the division has been part of the New York Army National Guard. In 2005, the division headquarters and main support elements deployed to Iraq, where they commanded 20,000 Soldiers of Task Force Liberty. This was the first National Guard division headquarters to go to war since the Korean War in 1952.