Cohoes resident Christopher McKay promoted to 1st Lieutenant in the New York Army National Guard
Local Soldier is currently deployed to Ukraine with Joint Military Training Group-Ukraine
Yavoriv, Ukraine (01/23/2018) — Cohes resident Christopher McKay, a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Troop of the 2nd Squadron 101st Cavalry, has been promoted to 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army National Guard during a ceremony here on Jan. 16, 2018.
McKay is one of 220 New York Army National Guard Soldiers who were mobilized in October and arrived in Ukraine in November to assist in training the Ukranian Army.
The Soldiers from the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will spend about nine months in Ukraine, helping the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense further develop its Yavoriv Combat Training Center and advise on its training program being conducted there. Oklahoma's 45th IBCT has been at the Yavoriv CTC since January 2016, conducting the same mission.
The New York Army National Guard Soldiers are working with Soldiers from Canada, Denmark, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom, on the mission.
The unit McKay is normally assigned to, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron 101st Cavalry is headquartered at Nigara Falls Air Reserve Station. McKay joined the New York Army National Guard in 2014.
Media Attachments
1st Lieutenant Christopher McKay, a Cohoes resident ( right) is congratulated on his promotion by Lt. Col. William Murphy, during McKay's promotion ceremony in Yavoriv, Ukraine on Jan. 16, 2018. McKay and Murphy are among 220 New York Army National Guard Soldiers currently serving on a training mission in Ukraine. ( U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alexander Rector)