• Services
  • News
  • Government
  • COVID-19
New York State Home
New York State Division of Military and Naval AffairsNYANG Airman
Governor Kathy Hochul | Major General Raymond F. Shields Jr.
New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs

Command Sergeant Major Edwin Garris,
New York Army National Guard Command Sergeant Major

  • New York National Guard

    Army National Guard

    • 42nd Infantry Division
    • 27th Brigade Combat Team
    • 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade
    • 53rd Troop Command
    • Joint Force Headquarters
    • Camp Smith Training Site
    • 106th RTI

    Air National Guard

    • 105th Airlift Wing
    • 106th Rescue Wing
    • 107th Attack Wing
    • 109th Airlift Wing
    • 152nd Air Operations Group
    • 174th Attack Wing
    • Eastern Air Defense Sector
    • Facility Locator
    • Mobilization Opportunities
    • Major Projects
    • State Partnership Program
  • Join Our Team
    • Find an Army National Guard Recruiter Near You
    • Contact a New York Army National Guard Recruiter
    • Contact a New York Air National Guard Recruiter
    • Become an Army National Guard Officer
    • Become A Warrant Officer
    • Join the New York Naval Militia
    • Join the New York Guard
    • Nationalguard.com
    • GOANG.com
    • Jobs
    • Bonuses
  • Military Member Services

    Programs

    • Jobs
    • Awards & Decorations
    • Suicide Prevention
    • Sexual Assault Prevention & Response (SAPR)
    • NYS DMNA Disaster LAN
    • Medical Command
    • Service Record Request
    • J2
      Intelligence & Security Directorate
    • Joint Training & Exercises
    • Chaplain Services
    • Education Services
    • Human Resources
    • Inspector General
    • R3SP Program
    • Small Arms Readiness & Training Section
    • Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program
    • CEI

      Update your Civilian Employment Info
    • Retirement Services
    • More Member Services

    Services

    • NYNG Customer Service Support Desk Portal
    • Command Photos
    • Bonuses
    • Healthcare
    • ID Card (CAC) Office Locator
    • New York Patriot plan
    • State Active Duty Benefits

    NYNG GKO Websites

    • NYNG on GKOGKO login required
    • Operations & TrainingGKO login required

    Resources

    • Army Geotagging Awareness
    • DMNA Forms, Pubs & Regs
  • Benefits
    • Jobs
    • Chaplain Services
    • Education Services
    • ESGR Assistance
    • New York Patriot plan
    • State Active Duty (SAD)
    • Suicide Prevention
    • Military Funeral Honors
      (Honor Guard)
    • Army National Guard Bonuses
    • Healthcare

    For Families

    • Family Benefits
    • Family Readiness
    • Army Family Readiness
    • Air Family Readiness
    • New York State Paid Family Leave
  • Family Services
    • Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program
    • Family Preparedness
    • Healthcare
    • Chaplain Services
    • R3SP Program
    • Suicide Prevention
    • Survivor Outreach Services
    • New York State Paid Family Leave
  • Community
    • Press Room
    • About DMNA
    • Awards & Decorations
    • Citizen Preparedness Training Corps
    • NY National Guard Annual Reports
    • NYS DMNA Strategic Report 2022-2025
    • NY National Guard Economic Impact
    • FOIL/FOIA
    • Service Record Request
    • New York Counterdrug Program
    • Military Funeral Honors
      (Honor Guard)
    • Military Aircraft in the Adirondacks
    • NYARNG Environmental Compliance
    • New York State Budget
    • New Yorkers Volunteer website
    • DMNA State & Federal Contracting
    • Not-for-Profit Corporations Benefiting the Armed Forces of the United StatesNot-for-Profit Corporations Benefiting the Armed Forces of the United States
    • New York State Silver Rose Veterans Service CertificateNew York State Silver Rose Veterans Service Certificate

    National Guard Support for Public Events

    • Request a Flyover
    • Request a Speaker
    • Request an Aircraft Display
    • Request non-aviation Participation
    • Troop Support
  • Multimedia
    • News Stories
    • NY National Guard Watch
    • JFHQ - Guard Times Magazine
    • Journals/Blogs
    • 53TC - Minuteman Newsletter
    • Upload Media
    • NYNG on DVIDS
    • Photo Archive
    • Skibird Magazine Archive
    • Video Archive

    Social Media

    • Visit us on Youtube
    • Follow us on X
    • Visit us on Facebook
    • NYS DMNA Press Releases on Readmedia
    • View our Flickr Photostream
  • History
    • The New York Military History Museum
    • Armory History
  • DMNA Employees
    • MNHS Home Page
    • State Internal Control Program
    • Budget and Finance
    • State Contracting
    • State Awards
    • State Financial System (SFS)
  • New York State Defense Forces

    Naval Militia

    • Newsletter
    • Contact Us
    • Southern Command
    • Northern Command
    • Western Command
    • Military Emergency Boat Service

    New York Guard

    • Directives
    • History
    • Enlistment
    • Photos
    • Stories
    • Leadership
    • Facility Locator
Jobs TAG Press About

Command Sergeant Major Edwin Garris, New York Army National Guard Command Sergeant MajorCommand Sergeant Major Edwin Garris is the senior non-commissioned leader for the New York Army National Guard.

In that role, he is the principal advisor to Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general and commander of the New York Army National Guard on enlisted Soldier training, readiness, welfare, discipline, and family issues.

Garris enlisted in the Army in 1983 and was trained as an artilleryman in 1984. He graduated as the honor graduate of his class and was assigned to Rivers Barracks in Giessen, Germany as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 92nd Field Artillery.

He went on to serve with the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia and then transferred to Air Defense Artillery, and redeployed to Germany assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

In 1990 he deployed to Saudi Arabia with the 1st Battalion, 5th Air Defense Regiment as part of Operation Desert Shield, the response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. He continued to serve there as Desert Shield turned into Desert Storm, the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Garris left the Active Army in 1994, and after a break in service joined the New York Army National Guard in 1999.

He served with the 1st Battalion, 127th Armor and in January 2004 he joined the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, and trained for a military police mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom prior to deploying from 2004 to 2005.

He served as an operations sergeant with the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from 2005 to 2007, when he reclassed as an infantry Soldier and joined the 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment which was deploying to Afghanistan.

Garris served as the operations sergeant for the squadron during a 2008 deployment to Afghanistan and then became a troop first sergeant after returning to the United States.

In 2009 he was assigned as the division fires operations sergeant major of the 42nd Infantry Division and in 2012 he took on full-time duties as the operations sergeant major for the FEMA Region II Homeland Response Force.

In October 2013 Garris deployed to Guantanamo Bay as the command sergeant major for the 102nd Military Police Battalion as the Joint Detention Group senior enlisted leader.

Garris then served as the command sergeant major for the 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery from June 2015 to December 2019, when he was assigned as G-3 operations sergeant major for the 42nd Infantry Division in Kuwait. The division served as the headquarters component of Task Force Spartan, the 10,000-Soldier Army force in the Middle East during 2020.

Garris served as the command sergeant major for the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from 2021 until taking on his current assignment in July 2023.

Garris also served as the full-time sergeant major for the New York National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force.

His awards and decorations include the Afghanistan Campaign Medal W/ Campaign Star, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.

Garris is a retired Buffalo Police captain. He and his wife of 37 years, Cynthia, have three daughters: LeShante`, Valicity and Angelena.

As of 2023JUL12

© NYS DMNA: New York National Guard Senior Enlisted Leader
URL: https://dmna.ny.gov/arng/csm/
18.232.179.37
Page Last Modified: 12 Jul 23
New York State Logo
  • About Contact Us
  • Site Directory
  • Register to Vote
  • Policies & Disclaimers
  • Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)
English Español 中文 Русский יידיש বাঙালি 한국어 Kreyòl Ayisyen Italiano العربية Polski Français اردو