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New Windsor man takes command of New York National Guard headquarters unit

Capt. Darren Hagan to command New York National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment

Latham, New York (09/27/2023) — New York Army National Guard Capt. Darren Hagan, a New Windsor resident, took command of the unit responsible for the Soldiers assigned to the New York National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters during a Wednesday, Sept. 27 ceremony.

Hagan, a veteran of overseas service in Iraq and Kuwait, took command of the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, which provides administrative and logistical support to over 320 Army Guard personnel who staff the headquarters of the 16,300 strong New York National Guard in Latham, New York.

He replaces Maj. Douglas Berinstein, a Clifton Park resident, who led the detachment for the past two years. Berinstein, a full-time civilian attorney with the Division of Military and Naval Affairs, will now become the operations officer of the 104th Military Police Battalion.

Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, told Hagan he was picked for the command because of his ability and past service.

"Command is one of the hardest positions an officer can hold," Shields said.

The commander is responsible for everything the Soldiers do and everything they do not do, he said. Command is normally limited to two to three years because of the stress of the job, Shields said.

Hagan has especially daunting task because he is responsible for making sure the senior sergeants and sergeants major, and officers who outrank him, take all their required training, make their medical readiness checks, get to the pistol range, and take the Army Combat Fitness Test, Shields said.

"So you are in charge, but not really," he joked.

"We have trust and confidence in you," he told Hagan, and charged him to remember to stay focused on taking care of people.

The Headquarters Detachment ensures the officers and men of the headquarters unit meet their training objectives, are physically fit, medically ready, and get the military education they need to discharge their duties.

In his remarks, Hagan thanked Shields for giving the opportunity to command. He also thanked those present who he had worked with in the past.

"I am the culmination of these individuals who have touched my career and my life,' Hagan said.

He also thanked his wife Amy and daughter Cari for their support during his military career.

"Every success that I have it because of them and every failure that I have bounced back from is because of their support," he said.

Hagan, who works full-time as a member of and Army National Guard team which evaluates strategic assets for the Department of Defense, joined the New York Army National Guard as an infantryman in 2001.

In 2013 he was accepted into the New York State Army Officer Candidate School, receiving his commission in August of 2014 as a Military Intelligence officer.

Since then, he has served in the 53rd Troop command, the 42nd Infantry Division and the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry.

As a member of the 10th Mountain Division, Main Command Post Operational Detachment, an Army Guard unit that augments the division headquarters, he deployed to Iraq and Kuwait in 2017.

Hagan is a graduate of the information operations qualification course, military deception planners' course, military intelligence advanced course, and military intelligence basic course.

Hagan's awards include: the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal.

Media Attachments

New York Army National Guard Capt. Darren Hagan, a New Windsor resident, accepts the guidon of the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the New York National Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters from Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, during change of command ceremonies at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham, New York on Sept. 27, 2023. U.S. Army National Guard photo by William Albrecht.

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