New commander for helicopter regiment
New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Matthias Greene, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, has taken command of the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Regiment, which includes a unit at the Aviation Support Facility at the Albany International Airport in Colonie.
Greene replaces Lt. Col. Jason Lefton of Niskayuna, who has become the New York Army National Guard aviation officer. The regiment has elements at Mcarthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, and Albany International Airport.
Greene previously served at the National Guard Bureau Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He is attending the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., for advanced military training.
The Massachusetts native earned his Army commission in 2000 from a Reserve Officers Training Corps program at University of South Alabama upon graduation from Spring Hill College.
Greene, who is trained as a pilot in the OH-58D and UH-60 helicopters, has logged more than 2,000 flight hours. He has served as an assistant operations officer, airspace management officer, executive officer, and personnel officer.
He led an Air Cavalry platoon in Iraq during the invasion of that country in 2003 as a member of the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment. He served with that unit in Iraq a second time in 2006-07. In 2009-10 he deployed to Afghanistan as the commander of a Wyoming Army National Guard Medical Evacuation Company.
Greene has earned a Bronze Star Medal, an Air Medal, the Bronze Star, an Air Force Commendation Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, a Master Army Aviator Badge, a Parachutist Badge and an Air Assault Badge.
Veteran burials
Veterans are entitled to be buried in a national cemetery at no cost, according to the Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
Veterans who never received disability or any other benefit from the VA are eligible if they served on active duty and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Vets who served in a Reserve Component and were mobilized or served long enough to earn a retirement are also eligible.
Many Guard and Reserve members don’t realize that their service entitles them to burial benefits.
The best, most effective way to ensure veterans get the burial or memorial benefits they and their spouse have earned through military service is through a VA program called Pre-need Eligibility, or Pre-need. Pre-need establishes eligibility for VA burial and memorial benefits before death, so the family doesn’t have to go searching for documentation after the veteran’s death.
Fill out VA Form 4010007 and mail it in to the St. Louis office indicated on the top of the form. Veterans can print out a form or fill it out online. The form and more information is available at https://www.cem.va.gov/ pre-need.
VA officials will review each application and send a letter confirming or denying eligibility. If approved, safely store the letter and inform someone of its location.
There are some nuances for reservists who may have to provide additional paperwork if a mobilization isn’t documented on their DD Form 214, so it is even more important for them to apply for PreNeed. Waiting to establish eligibility at the time of death can sometimes result in a denial with little or no time to provide additional information.
If a VA national, state or tribal veteran cemetery is selected as the final resting place, a veteran will receive the following: gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, grave liner, and perpetual care of the gravesite. Also included are memorial benefits such as a headstone, marker or cover for a columbarium niche. All are free, saving the veteran’s family thousands of dollars.
At many VA national cemeteries, including the Gerald Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery at Schuylerville, NCA partners with local military units or volunteer service organizations to provide deceased veterans with military funeral honors, including the playing of Taps and presentation of the burial flag. The veteran’s spouse as well as minor children and unmarried adult children who legally rely on the veteran for support are also eligible for internment free of charge, typically in the same grave or columbarium niche as the veteran.
If veterans choose to be interred in a private cemetery, they can still have a free government-furnished headstone, marker or niche cover. If a veteran chooses burial in a private cemetery with a privately purchased headstone, marker or niche cover, their family may request a free bronze medallion with the word “veteran” and the appropriate branch of service to attach to the headstone. Families also receive a burial flag.
Finally, upon request, the veteran’s family will receive a Presidential Memorial Certificate signed by the current U.S. president. Multiple copies can be requested so that all family members can have one. For more information about VA burial and memorial benefits, visit www.cem.va.gov or call 800-697-6947.
Capital Region funeral directors can help coordinate burial in Saratoga National Cemetery,especially if Pre-need eligibility has been determined. A copy of the veteran’s DD -214 form discharge papers can expedite eligibility.