A local man who commanded a National Guard battalion that saw some of its soldiers in recent years serve in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as their own backyards for flood and snowstorm relief, has a new assignment.
Lt. Col. Carlton Cleveland, of Oneonta, is leaving the 204th Engineer Battalion to become the operations officer for the New York Army National Guard's 53rd Troop Command.
Cleveland, 40, is being replaced by Lt. Col. Jeffery Cipolla of North Tonawanda, and the shift was heralded Saturday at a change-of-command ceremony at battalion headquarters in Binghamton.
Leading the battalion during the flood of June 2006 was one of the highlights during his three years as battalion commander, Cleveland said Sunday night.
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The battalion has about 630 soldiers who work out of Walton, Horseheads, Peekskill, Kingston, Binghamton and Buffalo.
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The battalion operates about $50 million in construction equipment, Cleveland said.
For the National Guard soldiers working out of Walton and Binghamton, the flood relief efforts involved assisting many of their own communities.
"I am very honored to have been selected the commander," Cleveland said.
During the ceremony Saturday, Cleveland received a meritorious service medal from Brig. Gen. Michael C. Swezey, commander of the 53rd Troop Command.
Cleveland said the change-of-command ceremony, a long-standing tradition in the military, was well-planned and executed.
"It was very nice," he said.
In his new role, Cleveland will be involved in coordinating the operations of the 4,000 National Guard soldiers in the 53rd Troop Command.
Cleveland said his family intends to stay in Oneonta.
"My wife and I like where we are," he said.
Cleveland, who was commissioned in 1990, is a full-time active Guard and Reserve officer. He has served as an engineer company commander, a New York Army National Guard recruiting officer and infantry battalion operations officer.
The 204th is the only engineer battalion in the state. Army engineers specialize in building fortifications, roads and structures when necessary and in removing enemy defensive obstacles. In Iraq and Afghanistan, engineers play a key role the in reconstruction of those countries, according to a media release from the Guard.
The battalion's heavy equipment and specially trained personnel also make it an asset in disaster response.
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