Thomas Fancher, a Valatie, NY resident, promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4

New York Army National Guard Warrant Officer Thomas Fancher, a Valatie, N.Y. resident, was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4 during a Thursday, Feb. 14 ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters

A warrant officer is a technical specialist who falls in between the commissioned officer and non-commissioned officer ranks in the military.

Fancher enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1991, where he attend basic training and advance individual training at Fort Benning, Georgia as an anti-armor infantryman.

On September 11th, 2001 he mobilized state active duty in support of civilian operations at ground zero.

In 2004 Fancher deployed with the 42nd Infantry Division as the fire support noncommissioned officer in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom then in 2011 to Camp Beurhing, Kuwait as a Warrant Officer and served as an artillery targeting technician.

In 2018, Fancher was assigned to the Joint Force Headquarters as the Force Integration and Readiness Officer where he currently serves full time for the New York Army National Guard.

Fancher's awards and decorations include; the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Meritorious Unit Citation, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon.