NY Army National Guard promotes Wynantskill resident
TROY, N.Y. » Maurice Catel IV, born in Troy and now a Wynantskill resident and veteran of the Iraq war, was recently promoted to captain in the New York Army National Guard.
According to a news release, Catel was promoted by Lt. Col. Gurpreet Singh, commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion under the 42nd Infantry Division in a ceremony held on Thursday April 11, 2019 at the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters in Troy.
Catel, currently a full-time member of the Army National Guard has been serving as the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion logistics officer, officials said.
Catel has been in the military for over 19 years and commissioned into the New York Army National Guard in 2013 after completing Officer Candidate School. He served 13 years as an enlisted soldier prior to commissioning, according to the release.
Officials noted that he has served as platoon leader and executive officer for Echo Company, 427th Brigade Support Battalion.
Catel has served two tours in Iraq. In 2004 he was deployed as an Infantryman and in 2008 he was deployed as a UH- 60 Blackhawk crew chief.
He holds a Bachelor of Science from SUNY Empire State College and a Master’s in Public Administration from Marist College.
His awards include; the Combat Infantry Badge, Aviation Badge, Air Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National defense Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Global war on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
In his civilian life, when he is not working full-time for the New York Army National Guard, he is a police officer with the New York State University Police.
Catel and his wife Kateri Rhatigan, live in Wynantskill N.Y. and have one son.
The New York National Guard (New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs) is the state’s executive agency responsible to the Governor for managing New York’s Military Forces, which consists of nearly 20,000 members of the New York Army National Guard, the New York Air National Guard, the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard.