NY Army National Guard Colonel Christopher Guilmette, a Voorheesville resident,will take command of Buffalo-based 153rd Troop Command
Guilmette will command 1,600 Soldiers locations across upstate New York
Latham, New York (05/11/2022) — New York Army National Guard Colonel Christopher Guilmette, a Voorheesville resident, will take command of the Guard's 153rd Troop Command Brigade in a change of command ceremony at Camp Smith Training Site, near Peekskill, on Saturday, May 14.
Guilmette takes over from Col. Jamey Barcomb, an Amherst resident and an operations manager with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, who headed the brigade since 2019 and is retiring after 30 years of military service.
The 153rd Troop Command, with a strength of 1,600 Soldiers is headquartered at the historic Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo. The 153rd is the higher headquarters for the 102nd Military Police Battalion in Auburn, the 204th Engineer Battalion in Binghamton, and the 501st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion in Schenectady.
The change of command ceremony dates back to the days when the military unit's flag indicated the location of the commander on the battlefield. The transfer of the flag from one commander to another allowed Soldiers to see the leader they would follow on the battlefield.
The ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14 at Camp Smith Training Site, which is the New York National Guard's major training location in the Hudson Valley near Peekskill. The 53rd Troop Command is headquartered at Camp Smith.
Prior to this command assignment, Guilmette commanded the 53rd Digital Liaison Detachment, headquartered at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan.
He has served in the Army National Guard since 1997, when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Maryland Army National Guard. He joined the New York Army National Guard in 2005.
In civilian life, he is a Senior Director with Iron Mountain Data Centers and is responsible for all data center design and construction within North America.
Guilmette has served as an engineer company commander for the 121st Engineer Battalion with the Maryland National Guard, an intelligence officer, plans officer, and operations officer for the 204th Engineer Battalion, liaison officer for the 42nd Infantry Division, Commander of the 204th Engineer Battalion, Chief of Plans and Chief of Protection for the 42nd Infantry Division.
From 2010 to 2013 he served as the Brigade Engineer for the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Syracuse. This included an active-duty deployment to Kuwait in 2012. From 2019 to 2020, Guilmette served as the Chief of Protection for the 42nd Infantry Division. In 2020, he returned to active duty and deployed with the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters to Kuwait where he led the Division's Force Health Protection response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic and Captain's Career Courses, the Command and General Staff College and holds a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, and the Maryland National Guard Outstanding Unit Award.
Guilmette and his wife Kelly have three sons Trevor, Andrew, and Eric.
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