Latham-based 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade Changes Commanders on Saturday, Nov. 15

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Lt. Col. Jack James

LATHAM, NY (11/14/2014)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Jack James will take command of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, whose members recently spent almost a year serving in Kuwait, during a Saturday morning ceremony at the Army Aviation Support Facility here. He replaces Col. Albert Ricci, who is retiring after almost 30 years of military service.

WHO: Lt. Col. Jack James, the incoming commander, receives the colors of his new command from outgoing commander Col. Albert Ricci. Major General Harry Miller, the commander of the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division will be the presiding officer at the ceremony.

WHAT: A traditional military change-of-command ceremony in which the colors, or flag, of the battalion is transferred from Ricci to James by the division commander, Major General Harry Miller, signifying the change of responsibility and authority for the command from one leader to another. Traditionally the unit's color's marked the location of the commander on the battlefield and the ceremony allowed the Soldiers to know who their commander was.

WHEN: 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014

WHERE: Army Aviation Support Facility, 330 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham NY

Coverage Opportunities:

Reporters will have the opportunity to interview both the incoming and outgoing commanders. Video and photographic opportunities include Soldiers in formation as well as the ceremony in which the unit colors are transferred.

Media must contact Capt. Jean Kratzer, the 42nd Combat Aviaiton Brigade Public Affairs Officer at 518-496-7150 for access to this secure military facility.

BACKGROUND

The Change of Command Ceremony dates back to the days in which a military unit's flag marked its position in the line of battle. The colors were always near the commander, so troops knew where to rally on the battlefield.

Today the transfer of the colors marks a change in the unit and gives the soldiers their first opportunity to see and hear their new leader.

The change of command ceremony recognizes the accomplishments of the outgoing commander and the Soldiers who served under him. In addition, the ceremony identifies the new commander to the Soldiers, so they can follow him on the field of battle.

Lt. Col. Jack James:

Lt. Col. Jack James began his military career upon graduation from West Point in 1992 when he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and attended the Aviation Officer Basic Course and flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala. where he qualified in the AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter.

Following flight school he was assigned as executive officer, Company C, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Stanley, Korea. He was then assigned to 1st Battalion (Attack), 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, where he served as Company C "Outlaws" Attack Helicopter Platoon Leader, Battalion Assistant S-3 and S-4. During this tour he deployed to Haiti in support of Operation Uphold Democracy in 1995.

After attending the AH-64 Apache qualification course, James was assigned to 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Ft. Carson, Colo. He served as Squadron Assistant Operations Officer before commanding R Troop "Renegades," an AH-64 equipped attack helicopter troop. During this tour, he deployed with R Troop to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Forge/SFOR-7 in 2000.

In 2002, Captain James joined the New York Army National Guard, serving as a battalion intelligence and then operations officer, 642nd Aviation Support Battalion, Brooklyn. Subsequently, he was assigned as Executive Officer, 3rd Battalion (Assault), 142nd Aviation Regiment, Albany, N.Y.

In 2006, Major James was selected as the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade Operations Officer, where he served until assuming battalion command in November 2011. Lt. Col. James played a key role in the planning and execution of numerous operations and training events including state active duty mobilization in support of JTF Empire Shield, New Horizons-Honduras, Operation Vigilant Guard, the CBRN Consequence Management Response Force, Army National Guard aviation transformation, and several pre-mobilization training events. James also served as the operations officer for New York's aviation response to Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, coordinating an aviation task force that grew to 28 aircraft and 500 Soldiers from four states, providing relief to citizens of the Gulf Coast region.

James is a 1992 graduate of West Point and a 2003 graduate of New York University, where he earned a Master of Business Administration. He is also a graduate of several military schools, including the U.S. Air Force Air War College, Command & General Staff College, Aviation Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms & Services Staff School and the Electronic Warfare/ Aircraft Survivability Course. He is a current Pilot-in-Command in the UH-60 Blackhawk and is rated in the AH-64, AH-1 and UH-1 helicopters, as well as fixed wing aircraft. He currently is attending the US Army War College DDE Program, Class of 2015.

His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC), Army Commendation Medal with four OLCs, Army Achievement Medal with OLC, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with two OLCs, two National Defense Service Medals, two Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, two Humanitarian Service Medals, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device and Bronze Hourglass Device, three Overseas Service Ribbons, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon and the NATO Medal. He also holds the Master Army Aviator Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and several New York State awards.

James is married to the former Lesia Koropey and has three children: Katherine, Juliana, and Nicholas. In his civilian career, he is a Corporate Vice President at the New York Life Insurance Company, New York, NY.

Col. Albert Ricci

Col. Albert Ricci Sr., a Ballston Lake resident and Iraq War veteran, is retiring from the New York Army National Guard after 29 years of military service.

Ricci finishes his career as commander of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, which recently returned from a ten-month deployment to Kuwait. During that deployment Ricci was in charge of U.S. Army aviation operations in that country, which included conducting exercises with Saudi Arabia and other allied countries, and working with the U.S. Navy and British Royal Navy in the Persian Gulf.

Ricci was commissioned through the Reserve Officers Training Corps program in 1985. After finishing Aviation Officer Basic Course at Fort Rucker, Alabama he served in a variety of leadership positions in the Active Army as an aviator. These included service in Germany and Fort Ord, California and a deployment to South America in support of a Presidential trip.

Ricci joined the New York Army National Guard in 1997 as an Active Guard and Reserve Officer.

He deployed to Iraq twice: once in 2004-2006 as the Operations Officer for the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade and a second time as the commander of the 3rd Battalion 142nd Aviation in 2008-2010.

He took command of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade in 2010.

Ricci holds a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College and a Bachelors degree from Emory-Riddle Aeronautical University in Aeronautical Studies.

He holds FAA licenses as a commercial airplane pilot and helicopter pilot.

Ricci's awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service, the Air Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with 4 Campaign Stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal 2nd award, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, the Defense of Liberty with WTC device presented to National Guard members who responded to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; the Master Army Aviator Badge, Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.

Ricci and his wife Diane, have a twin son and daughter AJ & Kaelin, and another daughter Briley.

42nd Combat Aviation Brigade

The 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, a component of the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division, provides command and control for Army Aviation units. The brigade is responsible for elements in 11 states. Components of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade in New York include the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, based in Ronkonkoma and Latham, and the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion with elements in Ronkonkoma, Rochester, Dunkirk and Olean.

A General Support Aviation Battalion includes UH-60 helicopters configured as Air Ambulances for medical evacuation, UH-60 used in the command and control role to move key personnel around the country, and CH-47 heavy lift helicopters which can move up to 30 troops and large amounts of cargo.

In 2004/2005 the brigade mobilized with the 42nd Infantry Division and deployed to Tikrit, Iraq where it conducted combat missions in four Iraqi provinces with units from the Active Army, the California Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

The brigade headquarters is based at the New York State Armory in Latham and has coordinated aviation efforts in support of emergency responses to Mohawk and Hudson River flooding and Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

The brigade mobilized and departed New York in September of 2013 and provided aviation support for U.S. military forces deployed in Kuwait since December 2013.

The headquarters element of 120 Soldiers commanded an aviation task force with some 44 aircraft and about 1,200 Active Army and Army National Guard aviation troops during their Kuwait deployment.

New York's aviation task force included 200 members of the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion (ASB), with Soldiers based on Long Island, Rochester, Olean and Dunkirk, N.Y. along with 60 Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, based in Latham, N.Y., flying ten UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters.

The 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade also led some 400 Soldiers of the Army's 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, an Attack Reconnaissance Battalion based at Fort Hood which flies the AH-64 D Apache "Longbow" attack helicopter.

The brigade also received 400 troops of the 3rd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation Battalion, a Michigan National Guard aviation unit with some elements from the Delaware National Guard.

The task force provided aviation resources and support to numerous joint and multinational training exercises while deployed, including Desert Talon III in the United Arab Emirates, Iron Hawk III in Saudi Arabia, Eager Lion in Jordan and Intrepid Centurion in Kuwait.

Training focused on air to ground coordination, including air assaults, aerial troop movements, aerial gunnery, air and ground vehicle or personnel recovery operations, overwater gunnery, forward area refueling missions and aviation maintenance support.

Flying time for the unit and the battalions it commanded reached out 11,000 hours and the operational readiness rate for aircraft exceeded 75 percent.

During the deployment 42nd CAB Soldiers – both in the headquarters and in other units-received 35 Meritorious Service Medals, 201 Army Commendation Medals and 100 Army Achievement Medals.