National Guard Staff Sgt. Kevin Singer, a Riverdale resident, will take part in exchange with British Army

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Staff Sgt. Kevin Singer

LATHAM, NY (06/21/2016)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Kevin Singer, a Riverdale resident, has been selected to participate in an exchange program with the British Army.

Singer, a 29-year old member of the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry-the famed "Fighting 69th"-will spend 30 days in August and September training with the British Army Reserve 's 105th Regiment, Royal Artillery in Scotland and Denmark.

Known as the Scottish and Ulster Gunners, the regiment has batteries in several Scotch cities and Northern Ireland.

Singer is the fire support non-commissioned officer for Company C. of the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry, which trains at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill.

His job is to help the company commander direct artillery fire or close air support onto enemy positions.

He served in Afghanistan in 2012-2013 as part of a 12-Soldier Strategic Forces Advisory Team. Part of his job there, Singer said, was to call for fire in support of Afghan National Army troops battling the Taliban.

Singer will report to the British Army Reserve unit in Scotland and then deploy with them to Denmark for a joint exercise with the Danish Army.

Singer is one of two New York Army National Guard Soldiers participating in an exchange with the British Army Reserve this summer. A Soldier from the 2nd Battalion 108th Infantry will be training with a British Army infantry unit in Crete at the end of June.

Singer, who joined the Army National Guard in 2010, says he likes being a fire control sergeant because artillery is such an important part of any battle.

The "most casualty producing weapon" on the battlefield is a radio being used by an artillery forward observer to call in artillery fire or air support, Singer said.

"In a fight we can bring those casualty producing weapons-the big guns and the air assets-to the commander," he said. "We win the fight."

Singer was chosen for the exchange program with the British Army because he is one of the outstanding non-commissioned officers in the battalion, said 1st Battalion 69th Infantry Commander Lt. Col. Don Makay.

"The exchange program is the perfect opportunity to build and maintain partnerships with our key allies at the Soldier level and Staff Sergeant Singer is amongst our top enlisted Soldiers,' Makay said. "He is ideal to represent the 69th, the New York National Guard and our country."

Singer, who holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Manhattan College, joined the Army National Guard because he said he "just felt that urge to serve, to take that ultimate challenge."

In civilian life Singer is statistician at the U.S. Army's Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County, New Jersey. The Picatinny Arsenal conducts research and development on small arms, munitions, mortars, ammunition, and other weapons systems.

He was surrounded by veterans at the arsenal, which made him more interested in enlisting, Singer said.

His military experience has been helpful in his civilian job, Singer said. He's used systems Picatinny Arsenal designs and builds in the field, which has given him a lot of insight into what Soldiers need.

"I was able to see what was good, and what we would like to see get changed," Singer said.

In fact, after he returned from Afghanistan he was a keynote speaker at a training day his organization held, Singer said.