Lt. Col. Henry Pettit, a Schenectady Resident, Takes Command of Army National Guard Recruiting Battalion

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Lt. Col. Henry Pettit accepts the colors of the New York Army National Guard Recruiting Battalion from Major General Patrick Murphy during Change of Command ceremonies on Oct. 4. ( Sgt. Jeremy Bratt)

LATHAM, NY (10/04/2013)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Henry Pettit, a Schenectady resident, assumed command of the Army National Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion Friday, Oct. 4 during a ceremony at the Watervliet Arsenal.

Pettit, replaced Lt. Col. Steven Rowe who is taking over the New York Army National Guard's Military Personnel Directorate, which is also headquartered at the Watervliet Arsenal.

The Recruiting and Retention Battalion is responsible for enlisting qualified men and women into the New York Army National Guard. The New York Army National Guard is authorized strength of just over 10,000 members.

The battalion has offices located from one end of the state to the other.

Pettit, a Schenectady Resident and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan was commissioned as a second lieutenant after graduating from the Empire State Military Academy's Officer Candidate School in 1993.

His past assignments include a myriad of leadership and staff positions to include Scout Platoon Leader, Rifle Company Commander, Battalion S1 (personnel), Battalion S4 (logistics) and Battalion S3 Air (operations), all within the 1-105th Infantry Battalion. During his tour with the 1-105th Infantry, he was also a First Responder to the World Trade Center attack in 2001 and assisted with the establishing military security forces stationed in NYC airports and Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant.

A graduate of Regents College, Pettit is also a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Infantry Officer Advance Course, Combined Arms Services Staff School and Intermediate Level Education (ILE) Common Core education for Army officers.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze star, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Pathfinder Badge and Master Recruiter Badge.

Pettit and his wife Susanne Leitch have two children, Jessica and Meghan.