New York Army National Guard officer getting promoted at Fort William Henry on Tuesday. August 25

LATHAM, NY (08/22/2026) (readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Capt. Alex Hammond will be promoted to major during an August 25 ceremony at Fort William Henry in Lake George Village.

Members of the press are invited to cover the ceremony being held in this historic location.

WHO: Capt. Alex Hammond, Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York; Col. Mark Frank, New York Army National Guard Chief of Staff; members of the Hammond family and the family of his partner, New Jersey Army National Guard Capt. Rachel Carey.

WHAT: A promotion ceremony during which Shields will promote Hammond, who has served in the Army National Guard since 2014, to the rank of major. Hammond is currently assigned to the Army Congressional Fellowship Program and is completing a masters in legislative affairs at George Washington University.

Hammond grew up vacationing in the Lake George area and especially enjoyed visiting Fort William Henry and taking part in the "Kids Militia" program there. He asked Fort Henry Museum director Ken Mark for permission to hold his promotion ceremony at Fort William Henry, while his family is on vacation in the area.

The ceremony will be held at the Fort's north bastion, and will feature the discharge of a cannon, as well as a piper and drummer.

WHEN: 11:30 p.m., August 25, 2026.

WHERE: Fort William Henry Museum 46 Canada St. Lake George, New York

Coverage Opportunities:

Members of the press and gather still and video imagery of the ceremony and there will be opportunities to interview participants.

Members of the press must Contact Nicole Frese , at 518-964-6677 or email nicolef@fortwilliamhenry.com for admission to the ceremony.

BACKGROUND

CAPT. ALEX HAMMOND

Alex Hammond was raised in Waddington, New York and served as town supervisor there from 2017 to 2023. Hammond was elected while still in college.

Hammond joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 2014 while enrolled in Army ROTC at Valley Forge Military College as part of the Simultaneous Membership Program. This program allows a cadet to serve in the Guard or Reserve while working towards their commission as an officer.

Hammond was commissioned in 2016 through the ROTC Early Commissioning Program, and joined the New York Army National Guard as an officer in the Adjutant General's Corps.

Hammond has held a variety of assignments, including strength manager for the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and personnel officer for the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment.

As part of the New York National Guard response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hammond commanded the vaccination site at the State University of New York, Potsdam from 2020 to 2022.

He deployed to Grafenwöhr, Germany in 2022-2023 as part of a New York Army National Guard team deployed to train the Ukrainian Army, where he served as protocol officer.

After returning from Germany, he served as a full-time National Guard officer, he served as the state casualty affairs coordinator, and as the secretary to the general staff for the Officer of the Adjutant General. He also held the position marketing coordinator for the New York Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion, before being assigned as director of federal legislative affairs for the New York National Guard.

In 2025, Hammond was selected to participate in the Army Congressional Fellowship Program. As part of the program, Alex is currently a graduate student at George Washington University pursuing a Master's in Legislative Affairs. He will be assigned to a congressional office starting in January of 2027.

Hammonds awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Recruiting Ribbon and the Army Overseas Service Ribbon.

He holds an Associate of Liberal Arts from Valley Forge Military College; a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University; and a master's in public administration from the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University.