CONTACT: Lt. Col. Richard Goldenberg (518) 786-4581, on site 727-7314.

FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Oct 18, 2009

WHO:

Lieutenant Colonels Russell Howe and Russel Clark and Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division Special Troops Battalion.

WHAT:

TROY, NY (10/15/2009)-- Soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Special Troops Battalion welcome their new commander during a change of command ceremony this weekend at the Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill, N.Y. Change of Command Ceremony to formally recognize the transfer of authority from one commander to another.

WHEN:

Sunday, October 18 2009 at 8 a.m.

WHERE:

New York State Camp Smith Training Site, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.

BACKGROUND:

The Change of Command: The Change of Command Ceremony dates back to the days in which a military unit's flag marked its position in the line of battle. The colors were always near the commander, so troops knew where to rally on the battlefield. Today the transfer of the colors marks a change in the unit and givens the soldiers their first opportunity to see and hear their new leader. The change of command ceremony recognizes the accomplishments of the outgoing commander and the Soldiers who served under him. In addition, the ceremony identifies the new commander to the Soldiers, so they can follow him on the field of battle. Lt. Col. Russell Howe Lieutenant Colonel Russell Howe was commissioned an infantry lieutenant from the Reserve Officer Training Corps from the University of Maryland in May 1987 and has served in a multitude of infantry leadership and staff positions before commanding the 42nd Special Troops Battalion. His assignments prior to command of the 42nd Special Troops Battalion include more than ten years in the Army National Guard as an Information Operations Officer, Operations Officer and Environmental Course Instructor in the New York National Guard. Prior to that, Howe served on active duty as an Operational Detachment A Team commander with the 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis, a Rifle Platoon Leader with the 82nd Airborne Division in Desert Storm and as a Mortar Platoon Leader with the 2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of South Korea. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal w/oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal w/oak leaf cluster, Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal Kuwait and Kuwait Liberation Medal - Saudi Arabia. His qualification badges include the Ranger Tab, Special Forces Tab, Parachutist Wings, Combat Infantryman Badge and Expert Infantryman Badge. Howe is a full-time federal technician with the New York National Guard and resides in Ballston Spa, N.Y. Lt. Col. Russell Clark Lieutenant Colonel Russell Clark, served in the New York Army National Guard for six years as an enlisted Soldier before receiving his officers commission as a second lieutenant from Officer Candidate School in June of 1988. He has served in a multitude of engineer leadership and staff positions before his selection to command the 42nd Special Troops Battalion. Clarks assignments in Western New York include platoon, company and staff engineer positions in the New York Army National Guard from 1990 through 2003, including service at ground zero with the National Guards response and recovery missions. He was assigned as the assistant division engineer for the 42nd Engineer Brigade in 2003 and deployed to Iraq in 2004-05 as the division force protection officer, responsible for the procedures and policies for the facilities and physical protection of the task force of more than 23,000 Soldiers. Following his deployment to Iraq, Clark served as the officer in charge of the 42nd Infantry Division Tactical Command Post number one in Buffalo, N.Y. before his selection as commander of the 42nd Special Troops Battalion. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (6th Award), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal (2nd Award), Iraq Campaign Medal Armed Forces Reserve Medal (w/ M Device), NCO Professional Development Ribbon (w/ Numeral 1), Army Service Ribbon and the Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (5th Award). Clark is currently employed on State Active Duty as the deputy commander for the New York National Guards Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the state homeland security task force supporting New York City law enforcement and the Office of Emergency Management. He is a former Corrections Officer for the New York State Department of Corrections with more than 20 years of service. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., Clark now resides in Brooklyn as part of his military duties with Joint Task Force Empire Shield, based at Fort Hamilton. The 42nd Infantry Division Special Troops Battalion First organized in the year following the redeployment of the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters from its service in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 42nd Special Troops Battalion comprises approximately 870 Citizen Soldiers across New York State. The battalion provides the command and control for the 42nd Infantry Division. Built around the division commander, its headquarters and staff in Troy, N.Y., the Special Troops Battalion also includes two tactical command posts for leading forward operations. These are based in New York City and Buffalo, N.Y. The battalion also includes the 42nd Infantry Division Band, based at Camp Smith and the division network signal company, based in Troy, which provides the signal backbone for the division's communications infrastructure. The battalion has supported division multinational training exercises in Egypt in the fall of 2007, in Australia in the summer of 2009 and will participate in a multinational training exercise in Japan in December this year as part of the division's training to lead combat operations across the spectrum of Army operations.

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