National Guard top medical advisor gets promoted
Dr. William Lecates of Cooperstow n resident and president of Bassett Medical Center, Cooperstow n, has been promoted to colonel during a ceremony at the New York Army National Guard Headquarters in Latham.
Lecates, who enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in 2009, currently ser ves as the New York Army National Guard state surgeon, the chief medical advisor to Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the state adjutant general. Lacates helps oversee the work of 100 New York Army National Guard medical professionals. He previously ser ved as the New York Army National Guard’s chief aviation medical of f icer,
Lacates did two tours in the Afghanistan war and tdeployed to Liberia in 2015 to help combat tropical and infectious diseases, which included an outbrea k of the Ebola virus. He ser ved as the div ision surgeon for the Troy-based 42nd Infantr y Division from 2017 to 2019.
Lecates is a nephrolog ist, a specia list in kidney diseases and hy pertension, who studied at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also a g raduate of Amherst College. He had worked as an assistant economist for the Federal Reser ve Bank of New York before study ing medicine.
After g raduating, he returned to Cooperstown as a practicing doctor, specia lizing in internal medicine with a focus on kidney disease. He has worked at Bassett since 2003.
He has earned a Meritorious Ser vice Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Reser ve Component Achievement Medal, and a Flight Surgeon Badge.
New commander
New York Army National Guard Capt. Olin Miller of Rexford has assumed command of the Headquarters Company of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during a ceremony at the brigade’s headquarters in Syracuse.
He leads soldier who assist the brigade’s commander in directing the activities of the combat team.
Miller is a full-time supervisory equipment specialist in the Logistics Directorate at the National Guard Headquarters in Latham.
He enlisted in Indiana Army National Guard in 2011 as an infantryman while he was simultaneously enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Program at Purdue University. He was commissioned upon graduation from the university with a business management degree and completion of the ROTC program.
Miller has earned an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, and an
Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal.
New sergeant 1st class
Isabel Denis Polanco of Cohoes has been promoted to sergeant first class while ser ving as the plans and mobilization noncommissioned officer with the New York Army National Guard’s Personnel Office in Latham.
Polanco was promoted during a ceremony at headquarters in Latham. Polanco’s mother, Delia Velazquez, pinned on her new rank.
She began her National Guard career in 2008. Polanco was initially assigned to the 369th Sustainment Brigade in Harlem. She also ser ved in the 42nd Infantry Division in Troy before transferring to the Joint Force Headquarters.
Polanco has deployed to Kuwait with the 369th Sustainment Brigade where she ser ved at the Base Operations Center and with the Area Support Group Kuwait, working as a unit administrative noncommissioned officer and training noncommissioned officer. She deployed to Guantanamo Bay with the Headquarters Battalion of the 42nd Infantry Division.
She earned an associate in science degree in cyber security at Hudson Valley Community College, Troy.
Her awards include a Joint Service Commendation Medal, an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal, and a Military Outstanding Volunteer Ser vice Medal.
Polanco is active in community ser vice. She volunteers at the Damien Center supporting all those who are affected by HIV and collects donations for local shelters. She also volunteers at her local food pantry, and prepares food from home to distribute to the homeless and people of low income communities in an effort to stop hunger.
Funding care packages
Mary Ellen Rosato of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9594 Auxiliary, presented a $1,010 check to Donna Abare, president of Blue Star Mothers New York Region 2 at the Zalgoa American Legion Post in Colonie to help fund sending care packages to troops.
“Due to many fundraisers being canceled ( by COVID-19) this year the VFW Auxiliary Post 9594 wanted to make sure that they (Blue Star Mothres) had funds to mail care packages to our active military serving our country overseas,” Rosato said after the presentation. “It is so important that we remember our military and a package from home really means a lot to them.”
Donations can be mailed to Blue Star Mothers New York Region 2, Box 243, Delmar, NY 12054.