CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan-- (From left) New York Air National Guard Capt. Shaun Cullen, Capt. Tripp Zanetis, Tech. Sgt. Jim Denniston and Tech. Sgt. Erick Pound are all members of the 101st Rescue Squadron, an element of the 106th Rescue Wing, currently assigned to the 26th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, take turns “busting each other’s chops,” following shift-change at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan Nov. 29. They are all firefighters when not activated. Cullen, the aircraft commander, is assigned to Engine 54, in Midtown Manhattan; Zanetis, the copilot, is assigned to Ladder 11 in Lower East Manhattan; Pound, the aerial gunner, is assigned to Engine 58 in Harlem; and Denniston, the flight engineer, is assigned to Engine 285 in Queens. Together at the 26th ERQS, the team makes-up Pedro 24, a quick-response HH-60 Pave Hawk medical evacuation crew.
DMNA Press Releases
NY National Guard In the News
Daily Freeman -- Thu, 16 Oct 2025 Kingston National guardsmen headed to Texas to assist border patrol KINGSTON, N.Y. Sixty-three National Guardsmen assigned to the 104th Military Police Battalion here are among 188 troops being deployed to assist U.S. Border Patrol at the southern border... (more)
Rome Sentinel -- Thu, 16 Oct 2025 Dr. LeCates shares vision as he prepares to lead MVHS UTICA Dr. William LeCates will step into the role of president and CEO of Mohawk Valley Health System on Monday, bringing decades of medical, executive, and military leadership to the position... (more)
Stars and Stripes -- Wed, 15 Oct 2025 National Guard units from Oregon, New York deploy to southern border About 250 soldiers from the Oregon and New York state National Guards are deploying to the U.S.-Mexico border to support the federal agencies operating there. The New York National Guard... (more)