Pelham Resident Lt. Col. Andrew Caliendo Takes Command of National Guard Explosives Disposal Unit

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Lt. Col. Andrew Caliendo

STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SCOTIA , NY (10/17/2012)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Andrew Caliendo, a Pelham resident and Iraq War veterans, takes command of the 501st Ordnance Battalion, a National Guard Explosives Ordnance Disposal unit based outside Schenectady in a ceremony here on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Caliendo, a quality manager at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, Connecticut in civilian life, takes charge of a headquarters unit which controls three to five EOD companies when deployed.

EOD personnel played a key role in the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan as the enemy turned to improvised explosive devices as their weapon of choice.

Caliendo was commissioned a second lieutenant in the New York Army National Guard through the Empire State Military Academy Officer Candidate School (OCS) program in 1992 and assigned as a platoon leader in Company F, 42d Aviation Brigade.

In September 1999, he was assigned as the personnel officer for the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion (ASB) in Brooklyn, NY. In July 2000, he was assigned as commander of the Headquarters and Supply Company (HSC) of the 642nd ASB in Brooklyn, NY.

As commander, he deployed to New York City with his company on September 11, 2001 in response to the 9/11 attacks. After over four years in command, he was assigned as the support operations officer (SPO) to the 642nd ASB where he mobilized and deployed to Iraq in 2004/2005. After the deployment, Caliendo was assigned as executive officer of the 642nd ASB. In July 2006, he was transferred to the 42d ID Tactical Command Post (TAC) as the logistics operations officer, where he served until his current assignments as the 42nd ID Division Transportation Officer (DTO) and Deputy officer in charge of the 42d ID Domestic All Hazards Response Team (DART) Coordination Cell (DCC).

Caliendo's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

Caliendo's Military and Civilian Education include the Signal Officer Basic Course, the Quartermaster Advance Course, the Army Command and General Staff College (ILE). Caliendo holds a Bachelors degree from New York Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters Degree in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Based at the Glenville Armed Forces Reserve Center the 501st EOD battalion is the higher headquarters for the New York Army National Guard's 1108th EOD Company, also based at the Scotia Armed Forces Reserve Center, along with EOD companies in Greenville, North Carolina, Camp Edward, Massachusetts, Camp Dawson, West Virginia, and Camp Grayling, Michigan.

The 501st Ordnance Battalion deployed to Iraq in the fall of 2010, serving there for nine months. During the battalion's deployment in Iraq the unit was responsible for counter-IED operations in nine provinces of southern Iraq, a region of about 81,000-square miles. This includes the main north-south highway known to the Military as MSR (Main Supply Route) Tampa, which is the road that U.S. military supplies and Soldiers entered and left Iraq over.

The 501st traces its roots back to the New York National Guard's historic 105th Infantry Regiment , known as the "Appleknockers," because historically the Soldiers of the regiment worked in the apple orchards of the Hudson Valley as civilians. The regiment fought in World War I and World War II before converting to an EOD battalion in 2005.

The 501st also serves as the higher headquarters for the New York Army National Guard's 138th Public Affairs Detachment, 1427th Transportation Company, and 466th Area Medical Company.