NY Army Guard Lt. Col. Paul Bailie, a Cohoes resident, takes command of helicopter battalion
Latham, NY (08/25/2023) — New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Paul Bailie, a Cohoes resident, assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Regiment, during a ceremony on Long Island on August 20, 2023.
The battalion flies the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter and has elements based at Albany International Airport in Latham and McArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma. Another company is part of the Maine Army National Guard.
Bailie assumed command from Lt. Col. Matthias Greene, who led the battalion during a ten-month long deployment to Kuwait. Greene was promoted to colonel and is moving on to a position at National Guard Bureau, the National Guard's central office in the Washington area.
Bailie also serves as a full-time employee of the National Guard at the flight facility at Albany International Airport.
Bailie joined the Army Reserve in June 1999 and then transferred to the New York Army National Guard, where he served in the 642nd Military Intelligence Battalion.
He enrolled in Officer Candidate School in 2001 and after receiving his commission in 2002 entered flight training in 2003.
He deployed to Iraq in 2008 as the commander of an assault helicopter company. During his service in Iraq his company conducted 21 air assaults - landing troops in a combat situation - flew 5,300 hours and conducted 700 missions.
He led aviation units during domestic operations support missions in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, and in New York following Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, and Superstorm Sandy. In 2017 he deployed to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to provide support there.
Bailie has also deployed to Honduras and to the southern border in 2006. And he provided presidential support and support during the 2009 G20 summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In 2020 he deployed to Kuwait as the division aviation officer for the 42nd Infantry Division, which was serving as the command element for Task Force Spartan, the 10,000-member Army unit in the region.
Bailie is qualified to fly the UH-72 Lakota, the UH-60 Black Hawk, OH-58 Kiowa, and UH-1 "Huey." He holds certifications as an Instructor Pilot in both the UH-60 and UH-72.
His awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Reserve Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, two stars, and the Master Army Aviator Badge.
Bailley holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in business administration.
Media Attachments
RONKONKOMA-- Col. Jason Lefton, right, the commandeer of the 42nd Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade passes the colors of the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion to Lt. Col. Paul Bailie, a Cohoes resident, as he assumes command of the battalion on August 20, 2023, at Army Aviation Support Facility 1 in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. The change of command signifies the passing of responsibilities from Col. Mathias Greene to Lt. Col. Paul Bailie.