Gansevoort Resident Lt. Col. John Sandefur Takes Command of New York Army National Guard's 2nd Civil Support Team

New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. John Sandefur took command of the 2nd Civil Support Team which specializes in dealing with weapons of mass destruction

Latham, NY (08/01/2019) — SCOTIA, N.Y. -- New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. John Sandefur, a Gansevoort, N.Y. resident and Iraq War veteran, took command of Scotia's 2nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, known as a CST for short, during a change of command ceremony on July 31, 2019.

Sandefur takes over from Lt. Col. Aron Sacchetti, a Nassau, N.Y. resident, who is moving on to other assignments in the Army National Guard.

Brig. Gen. John Andonie, director of the joint staff at Joint Force Headquarters in Latham, N.Y., praised Sacchetti for his leadership of the 2nd CST, while giving his full confidence to the future of the unit under Sandefur.

"It's a great day in the history of the 2nd CST," said Andonie. "John has a very highly technical skillset in the military intelligence field, he has 'been there done that' in every single assignment a military intelligence officer can do."

Sandefur joined the New York Army National Guard in 1997, and received his commission in military intelligence in 1999. In 2004 he made the first of two deployments to Iraq serving as the intelligence officer for the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment from Geneseo, and then as deputy director for security assistance at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

He is currently attending the U.S. Army War College through distance learning and holds Master's in Business Administration from Columbia College. Also, he is completing his thesis for a Master's of Science in Strategic Intelligence through the National Intelligence University in Washington, D.C.

Sandefur and his wife Carol are moving from Syracuse with their children Allison, John and James who serves in the Marine Corps station in Okinawa, Japan.

Andonie presided over the ceremony which featured the traditional exchange of the colors which symbolizes the passing authority of the 2nd CST from Sacchetti to Sandefur. The Soldiers and Airmen of the unit thanked Sacchetti and his family for his service, presenting him with a farewell gift and a bouquet of flowers for his fiancé.

Sandefur, who is responsible for the 22 member unit which works alongside many law enforcement and domestic agencies, thanked all those attendance for their support as he takes command.

"It's truly an honor to become part of this organization," said Sandefur. "I'm grateful for the trust my senior leadership has given me in this opportunity to serve in this highly specialized unit."

Sandefur emphasized the importance of supporting the families of the members of the 2nd CST, as the unit is continuously evolving to meet changing demands, he explained.

The 2nd CST supports civil authorities at the direction of the governor of New York in response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents.

The Soldiers and Airmen go through so much specialized training, more than is common," said Sandefur. "It's certainly the highlight of my career."

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