National Guard Troops Conduct Helicopter Training at Saratoga National Historical Park tomorrow

Media Advisory

SARATOGA NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK, STILLWATER, N.Y (08/13/2019) — Thirty-five New York Army National Guard leaders from across the state will participate in a battlefield tour and study of leadership at the site of the 1777 Revolutionary War Battle of Saratoga here Wednesday, August 14.

The participants will be delivered to the historic battlefield site on board four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Members of the press are invited to cover the aircraft's arrival and the battlefield tour.

WHO: 35 New York Army National Guard Soldiers: Officers and non-commissioned officers attending a company command training course. Five of the Soldiers participating in the training this week hail from the Capital District.

WHAT: Helicopter air landing arrival for a staff analysis and tour of the Saratoga National Battlefield conducted by a retired park ranger who is an expert on the battle. The military traditionally refers to these battlefield visits as "staff rides" and uses them as a training tool,

WHEN: 10 a.m., Wednesday, August 14. Aircraft are expected to arrive between 10-10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Adjacent to Look Out Point #8, along Saratoga National Battlefield Road, Saratoga National Historical Park, 648 Route 32, Stillwater, N.Y. 12170

Media Opportunity: Imagery of helicopter arrival and troops disembarking. Interviews with Soldiers, including local Capital District members of the New York Army National Guard.

Media desiring to cover the helicopter arrival should contact Col. Richard Goldenberg, 518-727-7314.

Background:

New York Army National Guard Company Commander & First Sergeant Pre-Command Course

Thirty-five officers and NCOs preparing to assume leadership or command positions across the New York National Guard will train in a variety of preparatory topics during August 12-16, 2019. The training prepares commanders and their senior NCOs, known as First Sergeants, to train, lead and prepare Citizen Soldiers for missions at home and abroad.

Training includes understanding unit readiness management for training, personnel and equipment, along with the information technology systems and resources to leverage to prepare units for domestic emergencies or overseas deployments.

Soldiers will learn from staff assistance experts to leverage the inspector general office, staff judge advocates, education counselors, substance abuse coordinators, equal opportunity officers, retention NCOs, unit chaplains and family readiness groups to establish a successful command team in their new units.

The training for Wednesday, August 14 focuses on leadership lessons from the Battles of Saratoga in 1777.

Saratoga National Historical Park

The Saratoga National Historical Park preserves the site of the Battles of Saratoga, the first significant American military victory of the American Revolutionary War. Here in 1777, American forces met, defeated, and forced a major British army to surrender, an event which led France to recognize the independence of the United States, and enter the war as a decisive military ally of the struggling Americans.

First authorized as a New York state historic preserve in 1927 on the sesquicentennial of the Battles, the Battlefield was made part of the National Park System in 1938 when Saratoga National Historical Park was authorized by Congress.

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