Photo By Avery Schneider | U.S. Army senior leaders assigned to the New York National Guard render salutes during...... read more read more
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New York Army National Guard Col. William Snyder, a Grand Island resident and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, and Command Sgt. Maj. Morgan Cady, a Boonville resident and Iraq war veteran, took command of the Guard’s 153rd Troop Command Brigade during a ceremony in the historic Connecticut Street Armory.
Snyder and Cady took over from Col. Christopher Guilmette and Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Giamberdino, who have led the brigade’s more than 1,600 Soldiers since May 2022.
The 153rd Troop Command Brigade is headquartered in Buffalo, overseeing military police, engineer, explosive ordnance disposal, medical, and transportation units across the state, and leading the Guard’s joint task force in western New York during emergencies and civil support operations.
“The command of a multifunctional brigade is a task of immense complexity and responsibility. It is a command that requires not just confidence, but truly effective and strong leadership,” said Brig. Gen. Isabel Smith, director of the New York National Guard’s Joint Staff.
Snyder, the brigade’s new commanding officer, began his career in the Guard as an enlisted welder in 1996. He served seven years before graduating from the state’s Officer Candidate School and receiving his commission as an engineer officer. He has served in leadership positions at the platoon, company, battalion, and brigade level, including most recently as executive officer for the 153rd.
Now, as the brigade’s senior officer, Snyder turns to its newest mission – leading the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s Region II Homeland Response Force.
The HRF provides specialized military support to civilian authorities in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear incident.
“What I’m going to be doing over the next couple of years is getting them ready to respond to any issues that may happen, not only in New York State, but across the country,” said Snyder. “We have a lot of work cut our for us.”
Snyder brings a wide range of experience to the brigade, having deployed to Afghanistan as a training assistance group engineer in 2008, to Kuwait as a battalion logistics officer in 2012, to Ukraine as the brigade engineer for the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine, and to Germany as the JMTG-U deputy commander and officer in charge of the mission’s mobile training team. He also served on major state active-duty missions across New York, including the state’s COVID-19 response mission, Asylum Seeker mission, and support of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. But it’s fulfilling the National Guard’s role in Buffalo that he’s most excited about.
“It's just great to be in my hometown and be able to command the unit right in the local community,” he said.
In his civilian career, Snyder is a high school history teacher for the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District.
Cady, the brigade’s new senior enlisted leader, began his Guard career in 2000 as a military police Soldier. His leadership positions spanned from team level to battalion command, and he was most recently the Command Sergeant Major of New York’s Regional Training Institute where he oversaw leadership training, officer candidate school and general studies training for Army National Guard, United States Army Reserve, and active component Soldiers.
Cady is the brigade’s first senior enlisted leader with a military police background in a long time, and brings vast experience from his civilian career as a 21-year veteran of the Fort Drum Department of the Army Police.
“Thank you for the opportunity to lead what I have already seen is an excellent team,” Cady said. “I look forward to truly getting to know this brigade and its Soldiers.”
During a combined change of command and transfer of responsibility ceremony, the 153rd’s colors, or flag, was handed off from Giamberdino to Cady, and from Guilmette to Snyder, signifying the change in authority. Historically, the colors of an Army unit indicated the location of the commander on the battlefield. The tradition allowed Soldiers to see who they should follow in battle.
During the ceremony Guilmette and Giamberdino were each awarded the Legion of Merit medal.
Guilmette’s next assignment is as the Deputy United States Property and Fiscal Officer for the New York National Guard, where he will help manage federal funds, equipment, and property for the state, and serve as a link to the Department of War for compliance, logistics, and finance.
Giamberdino’s next assignment is as the senior enlisted Soldier of the 53rd Troop Command, the 153rd’s higher headquarters, where he will ensure the readiness, discipline, and welfare of more than 4,000 Soldiers across New York.
Col. William Snyder Col. William F. Snyder, a Grand Island resident, enlisted as a welder in the New York Army National Guard in October 1996 and was assigned to the 152nd Engineer Battalion in Buffalo, N.Y. where he served for seven years.
In 2003, Snyder graduated from the New York National Guard’s Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an engineer officer. He was assigned as a platoon leader in the 152nd Engineer Battalion from 2003 until taking command of Alpha Company, 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Lockport, N.Y. in 2005.
In 2008, Snyder deployed to Afghanistan as a training assistance group engineer with New York’s 106th Regional Training Institute. He returned to the 27th BSTB in 2009 to serve as the BSTB’s logistics officer and deployed to Kuwait in that role in 2012.
Following deployment, Snyder served as the BSTB’s operations officer and then executive officer.
In 2017, Snyder deployed to Ukraine as the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine brigade engineer.
He served as a liaison officer with the 42nd Infantry Division in Troy, NY until taking command of the 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2019.
In 2022, Snyder deployed to Germany as JMTG-U deputy commander and officer in charge of the mission’s Mobile Training Team.
He most recently served as executive officer for the 153rd Troop Command Brigade in Buffalo.
In addition to his assignments, Snyder has served on major state active-duty missions in New York, including the state’s COVID-19 response mission, Asylum Seeker mission, and support of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
He has participated in training deployments to South Korea, the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, and the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Snyder's awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the NATO Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon.
Snyder holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Secondary Education and a Master of Science in History from Buffalo State College. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Engineer Officer Basic Course, U.S. Army Maneuver Captain's Career Course, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and U.S. Army War College.
In his civilian career, Snyder is a high school history teacher for the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District.
Command Sgt. Maj. Morgan Cady Command Sgt. Maj. Morgan Cady, a native and resident of Boonville, New York, enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in 2000 and attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Upon graduation from AIT, he was assigned to the 107th Military Police Company in Utica, New York as a Combat Support Military Police Soldier.
His military assignments included the 107th Military Police Company, Utica, New York; Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 104th Military Police Battalion, Kingston, New York; 107th Military Police Company, Brooklyn, New York; 442nd Military Police Company, Jamaica, and the 106th Regional Training Institute, Camp Smith, New York.
Cady’s leadership positions include Military Police Team Leader, Military Police Squad Leader, Battalion Law and Order NCO, Battalion Maneuver and Mobility Support NCO, Platoon Sergeant, Company First Sergeant, Battalion Command Sergeant Major, Regional Training Institute Command Sergeant Major. Cady also spent four years as the Marksman/Observer Team Leader on the Fort Drum Special Reaction Team.
Cady’s schools and credentials include Anti-Terrorism Level II course, Special Reaction Team Phase I (entry) and Phase II (Marksman/Observer), Military Police Firearms Instructor (LEWTAQ), New York State Firearms Instructor course, Police Defensive Tactics Instructor, New York State Less than Lethal Instructor, Police General Topics Instructor, Police Physical Fitness Instructor, and Law Enforcement Active Shooter Response Train-the-Trainer course. Cady received his bachelor’s degree in public administration from Empire State University in May of 2019.
Cady’s personal decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (2nd award), Iraq Campaign Medal with one campaign star, Army Commendation Medal (4th award), Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (5th award), Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (3rd award), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, and the Army Reserve Component Overseas Training medal. Among his New York State awards are the New York State Soldier of the Year Medal and the Defense of Liberty medal with World Trade Center device.
Cady is a 21-year veteran of the Fort Drum Department of the Army Police and was promoted to the rank of Captain in 2019. He holds the position of Deputy Chief of Operations in Fort Drum’s Law Enforcement division.
The 153rd Troop Command Brigade Headquartered in the historic Connecticut Street Armory in Buffalo, New York, the 153rd Troop Command Brigade carries a rich history dedicated to serving New York and the nation. Established in 2006 through a reorganization of the 42nd Infantry Division’s Engineer Brigade, the 153rd Troop Command Brigade builds upon a legacy dating back to the late 19th century.
The Brigade currently commands close to 1,600 Soldiers in diverse units across New York State – Engineers, Military Police, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Medical, and Transportation – providing Command and Control to 14 unique units that train and mobilize locally, nationally, and internationally. The 153rd Troop Command Brigade upholds a legacy of commitment to mission and state.
The brigade plays a critical role in both state and federal missions. Serving as the command of Joint Task Force V in 18 Western New York Counties and as the FEMA Region II Homeland Response Force, the brigade stands ready to respond to emergencies.
The 153rd Troop Command Brigade has supported multiple civil support operations and relief efforts, including Snowstorm Stella in the Northeastern United States in 2017 and Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean in 2017. The command’s Soldiers mobilized and moved millions of dollars of equipment to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in record time for the hurricane relief efforts. Hundreds of 153rd TCB Soldiers deployed in support of the New York National Guard’s COVID-19 response efforts in 2020. In February 2025, the brigade was called to state active duty to support the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The brigade’s subordinate units have a distinguished record of service, including multiple combat tours, overseas deployments, and consistent support to state and local authorities.
Through tireless dedication and a commitment to excellence, the Soldiers of the 153d Troop Command exemplify the brigade’s motto: “Buffalo Strong, Always Ready.”
| Date Taken: | 12.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.14.2025 19:31 |
| Story ID: | 554117 |
| Location: | BUFFALO, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | BOONVILLE, NEW YORK, US |
| Hometown: | GRAND ISLAND, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 194 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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