Soldiers representing the 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum attend Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State address at his invitation Jan. 21 in Albany. During his speech, Cuomo recognized the 10th Mountain Division's service in the war on terr...

ALBANY, N.Y. (Jan. 29, 2015) -- When Pfc. Brandon Jamison graduated from Kenmore East High School, he enlisted as a military policeman in the Army, left the Buffalo area behind and set out to see the world, excited about the opportunities that awaited him.

Ironically, he was stationed a few hours away from his hometown at Fort Drum, New York, where he serves in the 543rd Military Police Company. However, he couldn't be happier. Even more exciting, he and another dozen Soldiers were invited to attend the New York State of Opportunity Agenda on Jan. 21 at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany.

"It was definitely a proud moment for me," Jamison said about the standing ovation he and the others received.

During Gov. Andrew Cuomo's address, he introduced a group of Soldiers who represented Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division (LI), and the hundreds of people in attendance stood up and applauded for nearly a minute. Cuomo recognized 10th Mountain Division as one of the most deployed Army divisions since 9/11, and Jamison, with his deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, was one of those about whom he spoke.

"Fort Drum is home to the 10th Mountain Division, which just returned from serving us proudly in Afghanistan," Cuomo told the assembly.

It was Jamison's first time attending a State of the State address, and he was elated when Cuomo spoke about western New York and specifically Buffalo.

"It was nice to hear to hear about how he was going to expand the (Erie) Canalside and bring more jobs there," Jamison said.

Cuomo, who traveled Sept. 28 to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to visit deployed troops, also attended the 10th Mountain Division (LI) welcome home ceremony Dec. 8 at Fort Drum.

Halfway into his address, when speaking about New York's North Country, Cuomo commented that Fort Drum is a great asset to the area. He proposed budgeting $1.5 million to buy an additional 1,300 acres for training and $25 million for improvements along Route 26.