Duty Calls: Guard officer honored for 37 years of service

New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Michael Tagliafierro of Porters Corners, Saratoga County,  has received a Meritorious Service Medal in recognition of his 37 years of military duty before retirement.

Tagliafierro also received the Order of St. Maurice, an award for excellence in infantry, and a New York State Conspicuous Service Medal. He is a veteran of two deployments to Iraq war and is authorized to wear the combat patch of the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division, the Minnesota Army National Guard's 34th Infantry Division, and the active Army's 1st Infantry Division.

He was honored during a ceremony at the New York National Guard Headquarters in Latham. Maj. Gen. Michele Natali, the assistant adjutant general of the New York Army National Guard, who presided over the ceremony, praised Tagliafierro for his service over the years. "You are truly symbolic of the history of the Army and the New York Army National Guard, an old Cold Warrior who came back to serve again," Natali said.

He thanked his wife Maureen for her support over the years, starting from his enlistment in the Army in September 1983 in Albany. "My wife and number one supporter was there with me that day and she has been with me for every step of my military career," Tagliafierro said. "It would have been impossible for me to serve without her."

Just before retirement, he served as the Regional Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear response planner for Federal Emergency Management Region II.

He served in the active Army from 1983 to 1987, first as a cavalry scout with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry on what was then the West German border, and then at the Armor School at Fort Knox, Ky.

Tagliafierro joined the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 210th Armor in Albany as a cavalry scout and then earned a commission as a second lieutenant and became the commander of the battalion's scout platoon.

When the 201th Armor stood down in 1993, Tagliafierro transferred to the Inactive Ready Reserve. He briefly left the military in 2000 and then rejoined following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

During his military career, Tagliafierro also had served as a tank company executive officer, the personnel officer of the 642nd Military Intelligence Battalion, and the commander of the 42nd Infantry Division's Headquarters Company before joining the New York National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters in 2010.

He deployed to Tikrit, Iraq with the 42nd Infantry Division in 2005 and then served in Iraq again with the 34th Infantry Division and the 1st Infantry Division from February 2009 to November 2010.

While assigned to Joint Force headquarters, Tagliafierro specialized in homeland defense. He served as the Homeland Response Force implementation and plans officer and as the future operations branch chief for the New York National Guard Joint Operations Directorate. He also served as the commander of the 2nd Battalion 106th Infantry Regiment-a training unit-and then as the regional CBRN planner for FEMA Region II.

He has also earned two awards of the Bronze Star Medal, two earlier awards of  the Meritorious Service Medal, and an Army Achievement Medal.  As a civilian,  Tagliafierro works at the state Comptroller's Office in the Local Government and School Accountability Division in Glens Falls.

Helping out

Despite COVID-19 restrictions and cancelation of fundraisers in 2020, Mohawk American Legion Post members and Auxiliary members raised and donated more than $12,000 to help local charities and non-profit organizations, according to post Commander John Lepine.

The post contributed to local family and youth oriented organizations such as The Saratoga Center for the Family, the Regional Food Bank, CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Community Hospice, Double H Ranch, Shenendehowa Helping Hands and other food pantries.

The post also aided Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center’ Adaptive Sports Program and Veterans Holiday Committee, the Saratoga National Cemetery Honor Guard and the Homeless Men’s and Women’s Veterans facilities in Ballston Spa.