Saratoga County resident Major Pete Mehling to take command of National Guard Artillery Battalion

LATHAM, NY (09/30/2015)(readMedia)-- Major Pete Mehling, a Providence resident and veteran of the Iraq War, takes command of the New York Army National Guard's only artillery unit later this month at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill.

Mehling, a full-time National Guard officer who currently serves as a planner for the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division, will assume command of the 1st Battalion 258th Artillery on Oct. 24.

The battalion is headquartered in Jamaica, Queens in New York City, and has batteries in The Bronx and in New Windsor. The unit is equipped with the M119A2 howitzer and provides artillery support to the New York National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

Mehling will replace Lt. Col. David Feeley. Feeley has been selected for promotion to Colonel and will be assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina and has also been selected to participate in a class at the Harvard Business School in 2016.

Mehling was commissioned as an artillery officer in 1997 and has served in a variety of command and staff positions in both the Active Army and the New York Army National Guard.

He is currently eligible for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and will attain that rank after assuming command of the 1st Battalion 258th Field Artillery.

Mehling served in Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division, with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, and with the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley Kansas.

He deployed to Ar Ramadi, Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division and also served in Bosnia.

Since joining the New York Army National Guard he has served as the Plans and Operations Officer for the 42nd Infantry Division in Troy, New York and has also served as Operations andTraining Officer and Executive Officer for the 1st Battalion 258th Field Artillery.

Mehling is a graduate of the Field Artillery Basic and Advanced Courses, the US Army Command and General Staff College Intermediate Level Education and Advanced Operations Course. Mehling holds a degree from John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, Army Service Ribbon, the Korean Defense Service Medal, and the NATO Medal.He has also earned the US Army Ranger Tab and the US Army Parachutist Badge.

Mehling and his wife Jennifer and have four children: William, Elizabeth, Katherine, and Charles.