News from New York State Division of Military & Naval Affairs and Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VII

For more information contact: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 or Lt. Col. Paul Fanning in Afghanistan at paul.a.fanning@afghan.swa.army.mil, or Cell: 0798010642

National Guard Unit in Afghanistan Offers Mothers Day Interviews to Albany Media

Media Advisory

LATHAM, NY (04/28/2008; 1518)(readMedia)-- Moms from the Capital Region stationed in Afghanistan with the New York Army National Guard's 27th Brigade Combat Team will be available for media interviews for members of the media looking for a unique Mother's Day story.

WHO: Warrant Officer Priscilla Burnah from Waterford and Captain Lynn Currier from Malta.

WHAT: Telephone interviews for the print media and radio will be arranged by the Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VII Public Affairs Office. Television stations will be able to obtain live feed or tape through Defense Visual Information Distribution System (DVIDS).

WHEN: Interviews can be scheduled prior to Mothers Day.

Background: INTERESTED NEWS ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO CONTACT THE COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE PHOENIX VII PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE TO SET UP INTERVIEW DATES AND TIMES. For more information contact Lt. Col. Paul Fanning, CJTF Phoenix VII Public Affairs Officer at paul.a.fanning@afghan.swa.army.mil, Cell: 0798010642

Captain Lynn Currier :

Capt. Currier serves in the Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix Provost Marshall’s Office. She is normally the State Education Officer for the New York National Guard at the Division of Military and Naval Affairs in Latham. She deployed with her twin sister, Staff Sergeant Lisa Currier to Afghanistan and is the mother of twin daughters, both of whom deployed to Iraq as members of the same New York National Guard unit in 2005. She also has a son age 12 under the care of her mother while she is deployed.

Warrant Officer Priscilla Burnah

Warrant Officer Burnah has 8 yrs total service, 5 in the New York Air National Guard and 3 New York Army National Guard. She is originally from Plattsburgh.

She is a Human Resources Technician and is serving as the Assistant Personnel Officer and Public Affairs Officer for the 427th Brigade Support Battalion, Logistics Task Force for Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VII.

Her son Ryan M. Burnah, 18 is graduating on 10 May from LaSalle Institute in Troy. He has been in LaSalle’s ROTC program throughout and is captain in the Cadet Corps, and is also a Eucharistic Minister for the Roman Catholic Church.

Ryan is joining the 109 AW in Scotia, he will be part of the 139th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron as a flight medic. When he graduates High School in May, Ryan will attend Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas and then his Technical School will follow. Upon completion, he will be attending college full time as a pre-med major.

Priscilla is a single parent, with two children, Ryan 18 and Melina 6. Melina’s elementary school class is preparing to support her mom by sending donations of school supplies, clothing and other items that can be distributed to Afghan children.

Warrant Officer Burnah is full-time Guard Soldier assigned to the Human Resources Office at the Division of Military and Naval Affairs in Latham, where she supervises other Human Resources personnel.

Her mother, MAJ Judith Sorrell-Lynch retired after 20 years as a nurse in the Army Reserve, based out of Malone. Her brother is first Sergeant Shawn Burnah, U.S. Army and serves at the Airborne School in Fort Benning GA.

Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix:

Commanded by Col Brian Balfe of the New York Army National Guard , CJTF- Phoenix is the unit responsible for training the Afghan National Army and Police as part of the NATO Coalition effort in Afghanistan. The Task Force includes military members from 22 nations and all four United States Military Services.

The New York Army National Guard's 27th BCT took over as the command element of this unit on April 26. 27th BCT Soldiers also provide security for the task force and are embedded as trainers with the Afghan National Army.