CONTACT: Major Kathy Oliver (585) 259-0583

FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Oct 18, 2009

WHO:

Major Stephen Bousquet, the incoming commander; Lt. Col. Brian Marshall, the outgoing commander; Col. Geoffrey Slack, the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Commander and the men and women of the 427th Brigade Support Battalion.

WHAT:

SYRACUSE NY (10/14/2009)-- Major Stephen Bousquet, an Erie County resident who served in Afghanistan, will take command of the 427th Brigade Support Battalion from Lt. Col. Brian Marshall, who is also an Afghan veteran, in a ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 18 at the Thompson Road Armory. Traditional change-of-command ceremony in which Lt. Col. Marshall will hand the battalion flag, commonly called the colors, to Major Bousquet to mark the transition from one commander to another.

WHEN:

2 p.m. Sunday, October 18, 2009

WHERE:

New York State Armory, Thompson Road, Syracuse NY

Coverage Opportunities: Interviews with Major Stephen Bousquet, Lt. Col. Brian Marshall and Col. Geoffrey Slack about the missions of the battalion and its role in the structure of the 27th BCT. Visual opportunities will include the passing of the battalion colors and imagery of the troops in massed formation.

BACKGROUND:

The Change of Command: 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 givens the soldiers their first opportunity to see and hear their new leader. The change of command ceremony recognizes the accomplishments of the outgoing commander and the Soldiers who served under him. In addition, the ceremony identifies the new commander to the Soldiers, so they can follow him on the field of battle. Major Stephen Bousquet: A resident of Lakeview, Erie County, Major Bousquet is employed by the Army Corps of Engineers in his civilian life as a health physicist. He enlisted in the United States Army Reserve as a combat medic in February 1992 and in 1996 received a commission as a Medical Service Corps Officer in the Active Army. He left Active Duty in 2000 and joined the New York Army National Guard. His assignments have included Chief of the Environmental Health Section at the United States Army Medical Facility at Fort Drum, Commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 127th Armor, and Medical Company Commander for the 427th Brigade Support Battalion. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2008, and also served in support of Operation Noble Eagle, the defense of locations in the United States after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He is a graduate of Canisius College and is working on a Masters in Environmental Management at the University of Maryland. He is also a graduate of the Medical Service Advanced Course, Tank Commanders Course and the Combined Arms Exercise Course and Army Intermediate Level Education Course. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the NATO Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal. He and his wife Tracey have three sons, Matthew, Nathan and Alexander, and a daughter, Olivia. Lt. Col. Brian Marshall: Lt. Col. Marshal began his military service in 1979 by enlisting in the Active Army. He was commissioned as an officer in 1986 and served with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum until 1992 when he joined the New York Army National Guard. He has been a platoon leader, a company commander, and brigade supply officer, along with leading a battalion. Lt. Col. Marshall holds a bachelors degree from Northwestern State University in Louisiana and a Masters in Military Management from Touro University International. He is a graduate of the Combined Arms and Services Staff School and the Command and General Staff College. His awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the NATO Medal. He and his wife Laurie have three daughters, Nichole, Morgan, and Alexandria, and live in Mannsville, Jefferson County. 427th Brigade Support Battalion: The Soldiers of the 427th Brigade Support Battalion provide medical, supply, and maintenance support to the 3,200 Soldiers of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The battalion consists of a medical company, a maintenance company and a supply and transportation company. The battalions mission is to keep the brigades three or more combat battalions in the fight.

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