Williamson Resident and Afghanistan Vet, Sara Mitchell takes Command in Army National Guard

Latham, NY (02/07/2024) — New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Sara Mitchell, a Williamson resident, and Afghanistan War veteran, took command of the 27th Finance Battalion during a Dec. 16, 2023, ceremony held at the Whitestone Armory in Queens.

The battalion was previously known as the 27th Financial Management Support Unit. Mitchell is the first commander of the reorganized unit.

The reorganization created a headquarters detachment for the battalion and added new management positions.

Mitchell uncased the new colors with her senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Alfonso Villacres.

The battalion manages four units: the 4th, 7th, 14th, and 37th Finance Companies. There are 194 Soldiers in the battalion.

The individual companies support military missions overseas and in the United States independently.

The 4th Finance Company is currently deployed in Kuwait.

Mitchell said that 17 years ago, their organization was a battalion, and although it was reorganized as a unit, the mission never really changed.

Her goal is to retain Soldiers and ensure they are properly trained while paying close attention to human resources and time challenges to prevent burnout. Mitchell said.

"Going back to being a battalion is the right structure for our type of unit and will, hopefully, allow us to grow and perform even better," she said.

The 4th Finance Company is currently deployed in the Middle East.

Mitchell was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 2005. She transferred to the New York Army National Guard in 2012 and joined the 42nd Infantry Division as a budget officer.

She commanded 14th Financial Management Support Detachment from 2014 until 2016.

In 2016, she participated in a training area rotation with the 27th Infantry Brigade while serving as a budget officer for Joint Force Headquarters. In 2017 and 2022, she returned to the 42nd Infantry Division, where she served as the comptroller for the division.

In 2018, Mitchell returned to the 27th Financial Management Support Unit and led the unit in Afghanistan in 2019 and 2020.

Mitchell is a graduate of the Command and General Staff Officer School.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Lycoming College and a Masters in Business Administration.

She and her partner, Brendon, have a 2-year-old son, Graham, 9-month-old twin girls (Iyla and Nora), and two mini dachshunds.

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