Syracuse-Based National Guard Unit Getting New Commander

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (AP) — A New York Army National Guard unit based in Syracuse is getting a new commander who's a veteran of combat operations in Afghanistan.

Col. Christopher Cronin, of Victor in western New York, is taking command of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during a ceremony being held Saturday morning at Fort Drum in northern New York, home to National Guard facilities and the Army's 10th Mountain Division.

Cronin is a 1993 Syracuse University graduate who most recently commanded a Utica-based infantry unit. He served in Afghanistan in 2007-08.

He takes over command of the 27th IBCT from another Rochester-area resident, Col. Joseph Biehler (BEE'-lur), an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran from Webster.

The unit traces its heritage to the New York National Guard's 27th Division that served in both world wars.