Retired National Guard Officer Takes Charge of New York Guard Unit

Astoria, Queens Resident Brings 38 Years of Experience to Volunteer State Force

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New York Guard Col. George DeSimone

NEW YORK, NY (06/28/2009)(readMedia)-- George DeSimone, an Astoria, Queens resident and retired New York Army National Guard officer, has assumed command of the 88th Brigade of the New York Guard, the state force which augments the National Guard.

The New York Guard is comprised of volunteers who are not normally paid for their service. The New York Guard, which was first organized as a homeland defense force during World War I, cannot be called into federal service and assists and augments the New York Army National Guard in performing its homeland security and disaster response missions.

The 88th Brigade of the New York Guard, which is headquartered in the historic Harlem Armory on Fifth Avenue, assists the National Guard with training, administrating, legal and medical assistance. The brigade also provides volunteers trained in hazardous materials remediation who augment National Guard team assigned to rescue victims from buildings destroyed by chemical, radiological, or biological weapons.

DeSimone, who retired from the Army National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel. in 2007, will replace New York Guard Colonel James Whelan as commander of the New York City major command of the New York Guard. He previously commanded the New York Guard's 51st Battalion, an element of the 88th Brigade. In 2007 he was honored as the Grand Marshall of the New York City Veterans Day Parade.

The change of command ceremony was held at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn on Sunday, June 28.

DeSimone is also a former firefighter who retired from the Fire Department New York in 2003 as a Lieutenant and is currently an Adjutant Professor at New York University, specializing in teaching of emergency management, terrorism and homeland security related areas.

His last job in the Army National Guard was as Domestic Operations Officer, serving as commander of Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the New York National Guard's full-time security force in New York City. He held that job from 2003 to 2007.

As a firefighter, DeSimone, age 57, was responsible for Hazmat operations. He has completed the National Security Course at the National Defense University, the Incident Command Courses ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700 and 800 and programs in Operational WMD for Law Enforcement, Operational WMD for Threat and Risk Assessment, Incident Command System and Initial Action Incidents, Operational Threat and Risk Analysis, and Enhanced Operational Threat and Risk Analysis, Marine Security & Port Awareness the NYPD Infrastructure Protection Course and NYPD/USCG Maritime Infrastructure Protection Course.

DeSimone has an undergraduate degree in Education from Long Island University, a Masters in Education from Hunter College CUNY, and is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College.

He served in the Army National Guard for 38 years as both an enlisted Soldier and officer, and earned the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Metal and the New York State Meritorious Service Medal.

The 88th Brigade of the New York Guard was first organized as the 1st Brigade of the New York Guard in 1917 when the New York National Guard was called into service as the 27th Division and sent to France. In World War II a State Guard was again created when the National Guard was federalized. The 1st Brigade, based in New York City, continued to serve after World War II, as a cadre headquarters for the state militia force in the city.

In 1994 the brigade's name was changed to the 88th Brigade as a salute to one of the historic New York City Irish militia regiments which fought in the Civil War.