CONTACT: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581

FOR RELEASE: Saturday, Sep 19, 2009

ON SITE: Command Sgt. Major Robert Van Pelt 518-210-2868

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (09/18/2009)-- The only draftee Soldier still on Active Duty with the United States Army will be the featured speaker this weekend as the top enlisted Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard gather at the Saratoga Springs Hilton Hotel for their annual meeting. Command Sgt. Major (CSM) Jeffery J. Mellinger, who was drafted into the Army in April 1972, and currently serves as Command Sergeant Major for the United States Army Materiel Command, will mark the Army's "Year of the Non-Commissioned Officer" during a dinner for the conference attendees. The annual conference of New York Army National Guard top enlisted Soldiers provides a chance for the Guard's enlisted leadership to learn from each other and from experts in fields like logistics, personnel management, and leadership, said State Command Sgt. Major Robert Van Pelt. The conference is attended by Company and Detachment First Sergeants and Battalion and higher Command Sergeants Major. These are the top Non-Commissioned Officers, or NCOs , in those units with the duty of assisting and advising the commanding officer in executing their duties. The Army pairs a NCO with an officer at all levels of command, forming a command team. NCO's traditionally are responsible for the hands-on training of Soldiers and leading Soldiers at the small unit level. The New York Army National Guard's top NCOs of the year will also be recognized at the conference. Staff Sgt. Tiffany Streit, an Albany resident and a member of the 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade is the Active Guard and Reserve NCO of the year, while Staff Sgt. Morgan Cady, a Booneville resident, is the top traditional Guard (part-time) NCO of the Year. Sgt. First Class Adam Dingmon, an Army National Guard Recruiter in Saratoga Springs was named the top recruiting NCO for 2009. Three South African Army Warrant Officers, the equivalent of sergeant majors in their military, are also attending the conference as part of the State Partnership Program between the New York National Guard and the Republic of South Africa military forces. Having Mellinger as a speaker is a special honor because from 2004 to 2007 he was Command Sgt. Major of Multi-National Corps Iraq, working directly for the four-star general commanding the war fight there, Van Pelt said. "He's extremely proud of the fact that he is the only Soldier on Active Duty in the Army who was drafted, although there are still members of the Army National Guard, including myself, who started their careers as draftees," Van Pelt said. Mellinger has served as senior enlisted advisor for the Oregon National Guard's 41st Separate Infantry Brigade, as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, as a drill sergeant, as a Special Forces Military Freefall Instructor, and as Command Sergeant Major for US Army Japan. He has accumulated 33 hours of freefall time in more than 3,700 parachute jumps. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Bronze Star for Valor, the Iraqi Campaign Medal with two service stars, the Military Freefall Jumpmaster Badge, and the Combat Action Badge, along with a number of foreign military airborne awards. The enlisted conference begins Friday night with a reception at the New York State Military Museum and concludes Sunday. The awards dinner on Saturday night will be sponsored by the Capital District Chapter of the Association of the United States Army.

Attachments: