Taluto-to-Retire-After-44-Years-of-National-Guard-Service/1086998
ALBANY, NY (01/28/2010)(readMedia)-- Governor David Paterson today announced
that the Adjutant General of New York, Major General Joseph Taluto, will
retire after a 44-year career with the National Guard in which he rose from
private to two-star general.
Major General Taluto was appointed as Adjutant General in 2006 after serving
as the commander of a combat division in Iraq in 2005.
"During his tenure as Adjutant General, Major General Taluto worked
tirelessly to bring the New York Army and Air National Guard to full
strength, improve the Guard's capabilities to respond to domestic
emergencies, and ensure that our Citizen Soldiers and Airmen and their
families are cared for - both during and after their service," Governor
Paterson said. "Under his direction, the Air National Guard has undertaken
new missions with new aircraft, the Army National Guard has deployed more
than 2,500 soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the New York National
Guard's ability to respond to domestic terrorist attacks and disasters has
been tested and refined.
"Major General Taluto has had a long and distinguished career during which he
has served our State and nation with distinction. I am privileged to have had
the opportunity to work with him and wish him and his wife Susan well in a
well-earned and much deserved retirement," Governor Paterson added.
Major General Taluto was nominated by President Barack Obama to become a
three-star Lieutenant General and director of the Army National Guard in May
2009. After a delay in the confirmation process he has asked that his
nomination be withdrawn so that he can go forward with his long-deferred
retirement.
"While lengthy delays in confirmations are not unusual, I believe this
prolonged confirmation process has become a distraction to the New York
National Guard and the National Guard overall. While I appreciate all the
urging and support I have had to stay the course, this is a crucial time for
our National Guard. I feel that withdrawing is the right thing to do because
the Army National Guard needs a director as soon as possible," Major General
Taluto said. "I believe as I did last year, while contemplating retirement,
that we have accomplished what we set out to do four years ago. It is the
right time for the Governor to select a new Adjutant General."
Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Denise O'Donnell said: "New York is losing
a devoted leader and a true patriot with the retirement of Major General
Joseph Taluto. His vision to make the New York National Guard the preeminent
National Guard in the counrty will live on for decades and will remain a
lasting legacy of his strong and effective leadership."
As Adjutant General, Major General Taluto led the effort to grow the strength
of the Army National Guard by 2,000 members, resulting in the eighth largest
Army National Guard in the country and a force that is at assigned strength
of 10,400 soldiers.
The New York Air National Guard has also maintained its strength and status
as the largest Air National Guard in the country, and two of the five air
wings have taken on different missions. The 107th Airlift Wing in Niagara
Falls has gone from flying air refueling tankers to flying C-130 cargo
aircraft in partnership with the Air Force Reserve and the 174th Fighter Wing
has transitioned from flying F-16C fighters to remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper
attack aircraft.
Major General Taluto pushed for the successful creation of a second National
Guard team designed to detect the use of chemical and biological weapons
known as a Civil Support Team (CST) in New York. This team, based at Fort
Hamilton, is focused on operations in the New York City area. He also made
the organization of a special 350-member National Guard unit that is trained
to extract, decontaminate, and treat victims of a terrorist attack on a
building a priority. Under his tenure, this team, known as a CERFP for
chemical, biological, radiological, high-yield explosives, Enhance Reaction
Force Package, became the second of 17 in the nation to be certified as
ready.
Major General Taluto oversaw the recreation of the task force of New York
National Guard Soldiers and Airmen on duty in New York City into a more
flexible force focused on planning for many missions in the metropolitan area
and not just pulling guard duty at train stations and airports. Under his
direction, the New York National Guard conducted several internal domestic
response exercises and hosted Vigilant Guard 2009, a national-level exercise
held in western New York.
Major General Taluto enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in 1965 and
was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant through the Officer Candidate School
program in 1968. He began his career as an officer assigned to a
Nike-Hercules missile battery whose mission was to protect New York City from
attack by Russian bombers during the Cold War, and then became an armor
officer, commanding a tank company and working as a staff officer in a tank
battalion.
He has served as chief of staff of the New York Army National Guard's 53rd
Troop Command, the 27th Brigade, and the 42nd Infantry Division, as well as
in positions at the State headquarters during his career. In 2000, he was
named deputy commander of the 42nd Infantry Division and promoted to
brigadier general. In that role he assumed command of the New York National
Guard's response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
He directed almost 2,500 members of the National Guard, New York Naval
Militia and New York Guard in assisting the New York City Office of Emergency
Management.
In 2002, he was named commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, responsible
for Army National Guard units in New York and surrounding northeastern
states. He was promoted to two-star, Major General, in March 2004.
Shortly after that the 42nd Infantry Division was tapped to deploy to Iraq to
assume command of forces in the region just north of Baghdad, known as
Multi-National Division North Central. Major General Taluto went on active
duty for 20 months, leading the soldiers of the division through the process
of training and deploying into combat. Almost 3,500 New York Army National
Guard Soldiers were deployed to Iraq in 2004/2005.
In Iraq, Major General Taluto commanded 23,000 Active, Reserve and National
Guard Soldiers in four ground maneuver brigades responsible for operations in
an area the size of West Virginia. The division received the Meritorious Unit
Citation for its efforts in securing critical power transmission systems and
oil pipelines in the region, ensuring that the Iraq Constitutional Referendum
was conducted successfully, training an Iraqi Army Division, working with
local police, and rebuilding local governments and businesses.
Major General Taluto's individual awards include the Distinguished Service
Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the several awards of the
Meritorious Service Medal, the National Defense Service Ribbon, the Iraqi
Campaign Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, several
awards of the Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal, the
Humanitarian Service Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal.
He and his wife Susan live in Fort Ann, Washington County.
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