CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr, 518-786-4581

FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, Sep 09, 2009

ON SITE: Lt. Col. Dan Walther, (cell) 518-281-5895

BUFFALO, NY (09/09/2009)(readMedia)-- Lt. Col. Reginald Sanders, a Sackets Harbor resident and veteran of the war in Iraq, will take over command of a Buffalo-based New York Army National Guard headquarters on Saturday, Sept. 12. Col. Fred Kubus, who led an engineer brigade in Iraq, will turn over command of the 153rd Troop Command to Sanders on in a ceremony at the Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo. 153rd Troop Command is a component of the New York Army National Guard's 53rd Troop Command, a major subordinate headquarters and is one of four brigade-level headquarters in the New York Army National Guard. The 153rd is responsible for overseeing 1,700 Soldiers (an Engineer Battalion, an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Battalion, Military Police Battalion, a Military Liaison Detachment, and Transportation Company). In a state emergency the 153rd Troop Command is responsible for commanding both Army and Air National Guard units in 18 Western New York counties. 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 gives the soldiers their first opportunity to see and hear their new leader. Sanders, whose last job was commanding the 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, acted as a logistics liasion officer for the 42nd Infantry Division in Iraq and Kuwait in 2004/2005 and served as commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team's rear detachment while the brigade was deployed in Afghanistan in 2008. He is a retired Chrysler executive. LTC Sanders entered the Army as a private after graduating from Western New England College in 1983. In 1985 he attended the Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Ordnance Officer in 1985, serving in the 10th Mountain Division until 1989. In 1989 he left active duty and joined the New York Army National Guard's 145th Maintenance Company, based at Fort Drum. He also began a civilian career as a manager at Chrysler in 1989, retiring as international customer relations manager for Europe in 2008. He currently serves as Superintendent of the National Guard Mobilization, Assistance Training Equipment Site at Fort Drum. He served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a liaison officer for the 42nd Infantry Division and also served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He has also served as a logistics training officer for the Albanian Army. His military positions include 27th Brigade Combat Team Rear Detachment Commander, Company Commander, and Brigade Logistics Officer. He was most recently commander of the 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion. His awards include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He has earned an Associate in Business Administration in 1981, from Holyoke Community College, in Holyoke Massachusetts, a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 1983, from Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts, and a Master of Business Administration in 1997, from State University of Buffalo. He is currently in the final stage of earning his PhD in the area of Human resources and Leadership at North Central University. He is married to Judi Mckee-Sanders and resides in Sackets Harbor, New York. They have 5 children and 6 grandchildren. His daughter ,Specialist April Torres, is also a member of the New York Army National Guard.

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