Hastings assumes battalion command
Lt. Col. Michael Hastings of Mechanicville, an Afghan war veteran, assumed command of the New York Army National Guard’s 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion during a ceremony at Camp Smith Training Site, Peekskill, Orange County.
The battalion, headquartered in Yonkers, has elements in Orangeburg and Peekskill. Hastings leads soldiers who specialize in handling satellite communications for military units over vast areas of operation. The unit has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
Hastings replaced Lt. Col. Ian Seagriff, who has led the battalion for the past four years.
Col. Seth Morgulas, commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade, presided over the change-of-command ceremony and welcomed Hastings to his new command.
Hastings recently returned from a deployment to the Middle East with the 42nd Infantry Division, where he served as the division’s chief information officer. He was responsible for the design, operation and security of tactical and strategic communications networks that reached throughout the region in support of 10,000 soldiers assigned to Task Force Spartan Shield in the Central Command area, including Kuwait. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant
through the Reserve Officer Training Corps while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2001.
Hastings earned a master’s in business administration in technology and management from RPI and is a certified informations systems security professional. After a break in service, he joined the New York Army National Guard in 2009.
Hastings has served as a battalion mortar platoon leader and rifle company executive officer, as New York National Guard Joint Force Headquarters information systems plans officer and 42nd Infantry Division information systems tactical headquarters officer-in-charge. He deployed to Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013 with the 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion,
where he served as officer-incharge of network operations and information assurance officer.
The commander is a graduate of the Army’s Infantry Officer Basic Course, Air Assault Course, Signal Captain Career Course, and the Army Command and General Staff College. He has earned a Meritorious Service Medal. As a civilian, he has worked as vice president of information technology, cybersecurity and risk management at Bank of America and Berkshire Bank Corp. He now works full time as a technician for the Army National Guard, where he serves as branch chief of network operations.
Honor Flights pause
Patriot and Leatherstocking Honor Flights of the Capital Region out of Albany International Airport as well as Hudson Valley Honor Flight out of Stewart International Airport have received word from the National Honor Flight Network that all flights have been suspended through Aug. 15 due to COVID -19.
The Honor Flights fly World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans for a free one-day excursion to visit the World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials as well as historic sites in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va.
The National Honor Flight board of directors suspended the flights due to the continued uncertainty with regard to COVID -19 and related issues. The board will meet to discuss possible future flights and other issues in April. Once the board gives an all-clear for resumption of flights, a comprehensive set of standard operating procedures that all hubs must follow will be issued.