Former 10th Mountain Rear Detachment Commander Named Commander of 42nd Infantry Division

TROY, N.Y. (11/12/2012)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Brigadier General (one-star) Harry Miller, a two-tour veteran of the Iraq War who also served as garrison commander of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division Rear Detachment Commander, has been named to lead the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division.

Miller, a former member of the New Hampshire Army National Guard, has been serving as deputy commander of the 10,500-member New York Army National Guard since March. Prior to that, Miller was on federal active duty serving as garrison commander of Fort Drum, near Watertown, and Rear Detachment Commander for the Army's 10th Mountain Division while the division headquarters was deployed in Afghanistan.

An employee of Pfizer in his civilian life, Miller resides in Nashua, New Hampshire with his wife Melissa and three daughters; Courtney, Emily and Abbey.

The 42nd Infantry Division, which is headquartered in Troy, has 20,000 Soldiers with elements in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Hampshire.

Miller will replace Major General (two-star) Steven Wickstrom, a Massachusetts native, who has commanded the 42nd Infantry Division since May of 2009. The date for the command change has not been set.

"I am truly honored and humbled to become part of such an outstanding organization and extremely thankful for the opportunity," Miller said. "I'm excited to once again take on the challenges of command and to be part of all star-team with such a storied history."

The 42nd Infantry Division first organized in World War I from National Guard units from around the country. The division's first chief-of-staff, then Col. Douglas MacArthur, said the division would stretch across the United States "like a rainbow" and the nickname stuck. In World War II the "Rainbow Division" landed in France and fought across Germany, taking several major cities, liberating the Dachau Concentration Camp, and occupying Vienna.

Following World War II the division became part of the New York National Guard. Division Soldiers responded to natural disasters, including the major ice storm of 1998, and responded when the World Trade Center was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

In 2005 the 42nd Division became the first National Guard division headquarters to go to war since 1952 when Major General Joseph Taluto took charge of 23,000 Soldiers in North Central Iraq.

In his role as deputy commander of the New York Army National Guard, Miller has been responsible for training and equipping of Citizen Soldiers across New York. While on active duty at Fort Drum from 2010 to the end of 2011, he was responsible for the readiness, safety, and well being of the 38,000 Soldiers, Families and civilian employees at the post.

Miller deployed to Iraq twice between 2006 to 2008 and also served as Director of Joint Operations for the New Hampshire National Guard in Concord, N.H., and was the Director of Doctrine, Training and Force Development at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia.

Miller's military assignments also include Active Army service with the 1st Armored Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, and the 1st Special Forces Group, as well as the New Hampshire National Guard.

During his first combat tour Miller was assigned to the Iraq Assistance Group as the senior advisor to Iraqi Security Forces along the Iraq/Iran border. During his second tour he served with the 5th Special Forces Group and the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula as the senior advisor to the Commander of Multinational Corps -Iraq.

Miller holds an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Valley Forge Military Junior College in Wayne Pennsylvania, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, a Masters of Business Administration from Saint Martin's College in Lacey, Washington, and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

His military education includes attendance at the Army Officer Basic and Advanced courses, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, the Command and General Staff College, the Army War College, and the Army's Strategic Leadership and Development Basic and Intermediate courses.

Miller's awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (awarded twice), the Bronze Star (awarded twice), the Meritorious Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, and the Master Parachutists Badge.

Posted Monday November 12, 2012 at 02:54 pm by New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs
Last Updated Tuesday November 13, 2012 at 12:25 pm