Sackets Harbor Resident Col. Reginald Sanders Taking Command of Historic Army Guard Unit

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Colonel Reginald Sanders

LATHAM, NY (03/17/2011)(readMedia)-- New York Army National Guard Colonel Reginald Sanders, a former member of the 10th Mountain Division, who lives in Sackets Harbor with his wife Judi Mckee-Sanders, will take command of one of the Army's most historic units next month.

Sanders, who enlisted in the Army in 1983, will take command of the 369th Sustainment Brigade, known as the Harlem Hell Fighters, during a Sunday,  April 10 ceremony at the unit's armory in New York City.

It is the second brigade level Army National Guard command for Sanders. Since 2009 he has commanded the 153rd Troop Command in Buffalo.

Along with leading Army National Guard Soldiers, Saunders is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the New York Army National Guard's Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site at Fort Drum. The Fort Drum MATES received an Army award for maintenance excellence in 2010.

The 369th is one of nine such support units in the Army National Guard. The unit's lineage dates back to World War I when the 369th was an  African-American New York National Guard infantry regiment in a segregated Army. The unit had been organized as the 15th Infantry Regiment of the New York National Guard, recruiting from New York City and based in Harlem.

In 1917 the regiment served with the French Army because American officers were not convinced Black Soldiers would fight. The 369th Soldiers proved them wrong.

The regiment won a regimental Croix de Guerre from the French Army, and 200 individual Croix de Guerre and 171 Legion of Honor medals  were  awarded to unit Soldiers during  191 days of combat.

The unit sustained 1,500 casualties and won itself the nickname "Harlem Hell fighters" and the respect of the German opponents and French allies. The 369th saw more frontline service than any other American unit in World War I.

Sanders will replace Col. Stephanie Dawson, the first woman to command a brigade in the New York Army National Guard, who has been named deputy commander of the 53rd Troop Command.

Sanders entered the Army as a private after graduating from Western New England College in 1983. In 1985 he attended the Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Ordnance Officer in 1985, serving in the 10th Mountain Division until 1989.

In 1989 he left active duty and joined the New York Army National Guard's 145th Maintenance Company, based at Fort Drum. He also began a civilian career as a manager at Chrysler, retiring as international customer relations manager for Europe in 2008 prior to retiring.

He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a liaison officer for the 42nd Infantry Division in 2004 and 2005, and also served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He has served as a logistics training officer for the Albanian Army.

His military positions include 27th Brigade Combat Team Rear Detachment Commander, Company Commander, and Brigade Logistics Officer, and commander of the 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion.

His awards include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

He has earned an Associate in Business Administration in 1981, from Holyoke Community College, in Holyoke Massachusetts, a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 1983, from Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts, and a Master of Business Administration in 1997, from State University of Buffalo. He is currently in the final stage of earning his PhD in the area of Human resources and Leadership at North Central University.

He and his wife have 5 children and 6 grandchildren. Two of his children are in the New York Army National Guard.