CONTACT: Eric Durr, 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186

FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Dec 19, 2010

LATHAM, NY (12/19/2010)-- A combat veteran of Iraq, who is a Manchester, New Hampshire Police Officer in civilian life, took command of the New York Army National Guard’s 206th Military Police Company here on Sunday, Dec. 19. Capt. Kevin Jusza, a veteran of two deployments to Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division, took command of the company from Capt. Kevin Manion, a New York State Trooper and Stillwater resident, who led the company during its 2009-2010 deployment to Basra, Iraq. Jusza, a native of Copiague, NY, was commissioned in the Military Police Corps from Norwich University Reserve Officers Training Corps program in 2005. He served in Iraq in 2005-2006 and again in 2007-2009 with the 204th Military Police Company of the 519th Military Police Battalion assigned to the 4th Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division. Jusza transferred to the New York National Guard in 2009 after finishing his four year active duty obligation. He lives in Manchester, NH, where he has served as a Patrolman on the Manchester Police Department for the past year. Manion has been assigned to the Provost Marshall’s office of the 42nd Infantry Division, headquartered in Troy. He was assigned as the company’s commander in 2007 and trained the unit for its deployment. Manion joined the Army in 1996 and served as an enlisted Soldier before being commissioned through ROTC at the University at Albany. He served as assistant operations officer for the 310th Military Police Battalion in Iraq in 2003-2004 and as the executive officer of the 1302nd Port Security Company before becoming commander of the 206th MP in 2007. Headquartered in Latham, the 206th Military Police Company is composed of about 180 Soldiers from across the state. The company served in Basra, Iraq for 10 months where they trained Iraqi police officers and provided security during Iraq’s most recent elections. The unit returned from their deployment in June this year.

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