Troy-based National Guard division gets new commander during Saturday, April 17 ceremony

Major General Thomas Spencer takes charge of 42nd Infantry Division which fought in World Wars I and II and Iraq

Latham, NY (04/19/2021) — New York Army National Guard Major General Thomas Spencer, a two-tour veteran of the Iraq War and Operation Desert Shield, took command of the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division during a change of command ceremony held at the Division of Military and Naval Affairs headquarters in Latham, on April 17, 2021.

Spencer, a resident of York, Maine, has been serving as the Assistant Deputy Commander of Sustainment for the combat division headquarters since 2018.

"Tom, you have a critical job ahead, leading one of the Army's 18 divisions. We all know that you are the right leader for this huge responsibility," said Maj. Gen. Raymond Shields, the Adjutant General of the New York National Guard.

"I wish you and the entire division success as you prepare the division for future operations," added Shields.

"Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division, you have my commitment that our Soldiers are the highest priority," Spencer told the audience. "We will deliver Soldiers and units to the fight that are prepared and ready, and we will lead with optimism, sensitivity, and being risk adaptive."

"We will take reasonable risks because we will accept the 80% or 90% solution verse striving for perfection," he stated.

The 42nd Infantry Division, with headquarters in Troy, N.Y., has 20,000 Soldiers assigned to elements in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New Hampshire.

The 42nd Infantry Division was first organized in World War I by National Guard units worldwide.

The Division's first chief-of-staff, then Col. Douglas MacArthur, said the Division would stretch across the United States "like a rainbow," and the nickname stuck. In World War II, the "Rainbow Division" landed in France and fought across Germany, taking several significant cities, liberating the Dachau Concentration Camp, and occupying Vienna.

The change of command ceremony featured the colors of the brigades, which fall under the 42nd Infantry Division for training purposes.

Spencer replaces Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Steven Ferrari is retiring after 40 years of service in the military and command the Division in February of 2017.

In January 2020, the division headquarters led by Ferrari mobilized for operations in Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Jordan in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The Division provided command and control for National Guard and Active Component forces.

"While deployed, Steve and his leadership represented the Army National Guard and the entire Northeast partners in an outstanding fashion," Shields told Ferrari during the ceremony.

The 42nd Infantry Division is headquartered in Troy, N.Y. It has training oversight responsibility for National Guard brigades throughout the northeast, including units in New York, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

"The strength of the Soldiers in the Division without a doubt comes from our families, they are the bedrock and the reason we serve, "Ferrari said.

"As we part ways today, I could not have scripted a better ending to my 40 years in the military and know that my time spent here was without a doubt the highlight of my career," he added.

Spencer has served in numerous leadership and staff positions in his 34-year career as an officer in the Army National Guard. He was commissioned through the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps in 1987.

Spencer served in numerous operational assignments in his career, including; platoon leader in Desert Storm, a company commander in Somalia, an operations officer for the 197th Field Artillery Brigade in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and most recently in 2020, the Deputy Commanding General of Support for the Division in Kuwait.

He has held numerous field artillery and aviation staff assignments and leadership positions at the battery, battalion, and brigade levels across New Hampshire and New York.

The ceremony was held at the National Guard's state headquarters in Latham, N.Y., in front of a limited crowd due to COVID standards.

In World War II, the "Rainbow Division" landed in France and fought across Germany, taking several significant cities, liberating the Dachau Concentration Camp, and occupying Vienna.

Following World War II, the Division became part of the New York National Guard. Division Soldiers responded to numerous natural disasters, including the North Country ice storm of 1998, the World Trade Center attacked Sept. 11, 2001, Hurricanes Irene and Lee in 2011, and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

In 2005, the 42nd Infantry Division became the first National Guard division headquarters to go to war since 1952 when the headquarters led 23,000 Soldiers in North Central Iraq.

The Division now provides training oversight for the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 197th Fires Brigade, 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, and the 369th Sustainment Brigade.

Today, the Soldiers who wear the famous 42nd Infantry patch continue the Division's long-standing tradition of service to the nation, state, and community.

"I am truly humbled to have the opportunity to command such a great organization with such a historical past. Our Soldiers are proud professions who do so much for the National Guard," Spencer said.

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