Courtesy Photo | New York Army National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Gary Barney (right) accepts the...... read more read more
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NIAGARA FALLS, New York – Lt. Col. Gary Barney, a Fairport resident, and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan took command of the New York Army National Guard’s 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, during an Oct. 15, 2023, ceremony at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.
Barney replaced Lt. Col. Jason Secrest who had commanded the squadron since 2021.
Barney, enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2000 as an artilleryman before earning a commission as an officer through the ROTC program at SUNY Brockport.
After becoming an officer, Barney served on active duty with the 4th Infantry Division as a fire support officer and troop executive officer with the 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment in Iraq. He transferred from field artillery to armor and deployed to Iraq a second time as the commander of a company in the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 64th Armor.
While on active duty he also served as the National Training Center at Fort Irwin California and deployed to Afghanistan in support of the NATO mission to train the Afghan Army.
He finished his active duty career as the commander of a cavalry troop in the 3rd Squadron of the 16th Cavalry Regiment and the operations officer of an infantry battalion.
After rejoining the New York Army National Guard, he deployed with the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters to Kuwait in 2019.
Barney is not new to the squadron. He previously served as the 2nd Squadron’s operations officer, at which time he also led JTF-SOUTH in New York City as part of the state’s COVID-19 response.
After completing that mission Barney was selected as the squadron’s full-time administrative officer.
“After working with the Squadron for the last year, I am continuously impressed with how hard our Troopers work to accomplish any assigned mission,” Barney said.
Barney praised the Soldiers of the squadron and said he looks forward to what the future holds.
“I am lucky to work with such a great team,” said Barney.
Barney’s awards include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the NATO Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in History from SUNY Brockport and a Master of Science in Crisis and Emergency Management from the University of Nevada.
In civilian life he is an industrial specialist at the Defense Contract Management Agency in Rochester.
Secrest, who lives in Washington D.C. is awaiting assignment as Chief of the Interorganizational Branch at National Guard Bureau .
During the ceremony, Secrest said he valued his time with the 2nd Squadron and considers them family.
“I will always have you all in my thoughts” Secrest said.
Secrest thanked the soldiers of the 2nd squadron, as well as their families and the families present for all their support and hard work through the years.
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2023 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 456044 |
| Location: | NIAGARA FALLS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIR RESERVE STATION, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | FAIRPORT, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 200 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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