New Aviation Leadership Transfer of Command Between State Aviation Office and 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade

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LATHAM, NY (09/11/2008)(readMedia)--

MEDIA ADVISORY

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WHAT: A Change of Command Ceremony between the commander of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, N.Y. Army National Guard and the N.Y. State Aviation Office.

WHEN: Saturday, September 13, 1 p.m.

WHERE: Dept. of Military and Naval Affairs, 330 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham, N.Y. 12110.

WHO: Colonel's Michael Bobeck and Mark Burke will exchange military duty positions. Currently, Col. Bobeck is the State Aviation Officer and Col. Burke is the commander of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade.

UNIT BACKGROUND:

The Director of the State Aviation Office is responsible for all Army aviation operations, training, maintenance, standardization and safety for the New York Army National Guard.

Additionally, he/she is responsible for the management of the New York Army National Guard Ground Safety program and its personnel to coordinate with National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. for aviation operations in the state, in the continental U.S. and overseas missions. The Director of the State Aviation Office is the principle advisor on aviation issues and operations to New York's State Adjutant General.

The 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade recently underwent a Dept. of the Army directed transition. It was formerly titled the 42nd Aviation Brigade and federally mobilized in 2005-2006 as the aviation brigade for the 42nd Infantry Division to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.

At the time of their deployment the aviation brigade was headquartered in Patchogue, N.Y. and consisted of the 1st Battalion-142nd Aviation which maintained aviation companies in Rochester, Ronkonkoma and Latham, N.Y., and the 2nd Battalion-126th Aviation from the Connecticut Army National Guard and the 5th Battalion-117th Cavalry Regiment from the New Jersey Army National Guard and finally, the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion located in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Before the transition, the 42nd Aviation Brigade had in their aircraft inventory the AH-64A Apache helicopter, the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, the CH-47 Chinook helicopter and even M-1 Abrams tanks due to the 117th Cavalry Regiment.

After the transition, the name was changed from the 42nd Aviation Brigade to the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade. The headquarters element was moved from Patchogue to Latham, N.Y. The 1-142nd Aviation remained intact, the 2-126th Aviation changed to the 3-126th Aviation, and the 117th Cavalry was reassigned but smaller aviation assets were added to the 42nd CAB, such as the 249th Air Ambulance Medical Company in Rochester and the 224th Aviation Service and Support Company in Latham.

Currently, the 1-142nd Aviation is deployed to Iraq as one of three UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter battalions serving with the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade, Minnesota Army National Guard.

Interested news organizations please contact the DMNA public affairs office at (518) 786-4581 for details and coordinating information. Please provide names of news media representatives. Working journalists should be prepared to show photo ID.

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