Clifton Park resident Lt. Col. Shawn Tabankin turns over command of historic 69th Infantry, moves to NY Guard headquarters job

New York (10/24/2023) — New York National Guard Lt. Col. Shawn Tabankin, a Clifton Park resident, turned over command of the famed "Fighting 69th" infantry regiment to a Camillus resident, Lt. Col. Adam Bojarski, during an October 22, 2023 ceremony at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City.

Tabankin, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, took command of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry in 2021. While in command of the 69th, Tabankin led the unit during a ten-month deployment to the Horn of Africa.

Additional infantry companies and support units were added to the battalion, and as Task Force Wolfhound the unit provided security forces for Camp Lemonier, Djibouti; as well as outposts in Somalia and Kenya.

The 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment has a distinguished history, traced back to 1849 when Irish immigrants organized a militia regiment. The unit joined the New York State Militia, and was numbered the 69th Regiment in 1851 - the same year its Soldiers began leading the annual New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade.69th Soldiers fought in the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are the subject of the Irish folk song, "The Fighting 69th," and a 1940 war movie of the same name.Members of the battalion were among the first to respond to Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, and were part of the response to Superstorm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tabankin will now serve as deputy operations office at New York National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Latham.

In his remarks, he praised the men and women who serve in the 69th Infantry,

"I appreciate so greatly how this historic battalion remains one formed by immigrants, one that remains a battalion of immigrants, one that represents the immigrant spirit that makes great New Yorkers, one that represents the melting pot that makes great Americans, and that this historic battalion will continue to perform in a manner commensurate with its storied and fought for history," Tabankin said.

Tabankin enlisted in the United States Army in 1997 and served in the 82nd Airborne Division before receiving his commission as an infantry officer in 2002 through the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps, joining the New York Army National Guard to attend New York Law School.

In 2003, Tabankin took a voluntary leave of absence from law school to deploy to Iraq as a platoon leader with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry.

Tabankin completed law school, began practice as an attorney and continued his service as a National Guard officer.

Tabankin became a full time active duty member of the New York Army National Guard upon return in 2012, where he served as Force Integration Officer and then, in 2015, the battalion operations officer for the 2-108th Infantry.

In 2017, Tabankin transferred to the 42nd Infantry Division where he deployed to Kuwait as the Chief of Plans for Task Force Spartan.

Tabankin is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Maneuver Captain's Career Course, Intermediate Level Education and the Advanced Operations Course.

His awards include the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Iraq Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star, Valorous Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Award with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and Air Assault Badge.

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