Paul Bailie, a North Colonie resident and Iraq War veteran, is promoted to Lt. Col. in the New York Army National Guard

Latham, NY (07/23/2018) — North Colonie resident Paul Bailie was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the New York Army National Guard during a short ceremony on Thursday, July 19.

Bailie, an Army helicopter pilot, currently serves full-time as the New York Army National Guard's deputy state aviation officer at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham. He also serves on the staff of the 42nd Infantry Division which is headquartered in Troy

Bailie joined the Army Reserve in June 1999 and then transferred to the New York Army National Guard, where he served in the 642nd Military Intelligence Battalion.

He enrolled in Officer Candidate School in 2001 and after receiving his commission in 2002 entered flight training in 2003.

He deployed to Iraq in 2008 as the commander of an assault helicopter company of the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation. During his service in Iraq his company conducted 21 air assaults - landing troops in a combat situation - flew 5,300 hours and conducted 700 missions.

He led aviation units during domestic operations support missions in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, and in New York following Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and Superstorm Sandy. In 2017 he deployed to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to provide support there.

Bailie has also deployed to Honduras and to the southern border in 2006. And provided presidential support and support during the 2009 G20 summit in Pittsburgh.

Bailie is qualified in the UH-72 Lakota, UH-60 Blackhawk, OH-58 Kiowa, and UH-1 "Huey" and will receive his Master Army Aviator Badge on December 18th, 2018.

He holds certifications as an Instructor Pilot in both the UH-60 and UH-72, and has a Bachelor degree in Criminal Justice and a Master Degree in Business Administration.

Bailie and his wife Dr. Christina Bailie have four sons: Aidan, Gavin, Dylan, and Ivan Bailie.

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