CONTACT: For more information contact: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008

WHO:

14 members of an Embedded Training Team led by Major Vincent Heintz. Most of these officers and non-commissioned officers are members of the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry, headquartered at the Lexington Avenue Armory in Manhattan.

WHAT:

Fourteen New York Army National Guard Soldiers who spent 10 months in Afghanistan training members of the Afghan National Army will be with their families for Thanksgiving. The team arrives at LaGuardia Airport at 4:50 p.m. today. Members of the media are invited to be there as they meet family membersArrive on Midwest Airlines Flight 3 from Milwaukee at LaGuardia Airport after out processing at Fort Riley, Kansas.

WHEN:

Flight is due to arrive at 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25

WHERE:

LaGuardia Airport

BACKGROUND:

These members of the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry were mobilized in December 2007 for two months of training at Fort Riley Kansas and a 10 month deployment to Afghanistan. Embedded Training Teams are groups of American Soldiers who embed with the Afghan Army battalion they train. The Americans, live, work, and fight with the Afghans. For 11 members of the 16-member team, this was their second deployment. Most had served in Iraq in 2004/2005. Four are members of the New York Police Department; one is a member of the Fire Department New York. The efforts of the team in Afghanistan where chronicled by the Washington Post in August. That story “New Yorkers on the Afghan Steppe” can be viewed here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080502925.html The Soldiers arrived at Fort Riley Kansas on Nov. 23 after a three day trip back to the United States from Afghanistan, via Kuwait. Returning home Tuesday afternoon are Major Vincent Heintz, the team leader, Capt. Brian Higgins, Capt. Joseph Minning, 1st Lt Mike Farina, 1st Lt. Jose Cruz, 1st Lt Carl Jeremie, Capt. Charles Wasilewski, Master Sgt. Michael O’Brien, Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Gross, Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Wiwczar, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Herbst, Sgt. Sean Markham, Sgt. David McNamee, and Staff Sgt. John Byrnes