Averill Park resident Ryan Brountas promoted to lieutenant colonel in the New York Army National Guard

Veteran of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is currently serving as rear detachment commander for 42nd Infantry Division

Latham, NY (07/25/2025) — Averial Park resident Ryan Brountas was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the New York Army National Guard during a July 24 ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham.

Brountas, a Signal Corps officer and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is currently on active duty serving as the rear detachment commander for the 42nd Infantry Division's headquarters.

The Troy-based division's Soldiers are currently deployed in the Middle East commanding Joint Task Force Spartan, the Army's 10,000- Soldier force in the region.

Brountas is responsible for Soldiers who did not deploy with the headquarters and for taking care of the families of deployed Soldiers.

Prior to that he was service as deputy signal officer for the New York National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters.

Col. Diane Armbruster, the chief signal officer for Joint Force Headquarters, praised Brountas as an outstanding officer.

"You've consistently risen to every challenge," Armbruster told him.

In his remarks, Brountas thanked his wife Stacey for her support for the last ten years. He also thanked the Soldiers and officers he's served with for helping him to be successful in his career.

Brountas enlisted in the Army in 2005 as a signal specialist and attended Officer Candidate School to earn his commission.

He served as a platoon leader in the 10th Mountain Division and deployed with the division to Kirkuk, Iraq in 2007-2008.

He transferred to the New York Army National Guard in 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment in 2012.

In 2020 he deployed to Kuwait with the 42nd Infantry Division and was responsible for supporting signal operations across the region.

In 2023-2024, he was in the Middle East once again as the executive officer of the New York Army National Guard's 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion, maintaining communications for Task Force Spartan.

In his civilian life, Brountas also worked in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2014 and 2015 as a civilian contractor for Army signal services.

Brountas has also served as the deputy signal officer for New York's Joint Force Headquarters.

His awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the NATO Medal.

He holds a degree in new media information technology.

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