A National Guard unit that specializes in radiological, biological and chemical terrorist attacks is now under the command of Gansevoort resident Thomas Benton.
New York Army National Guard Maj. Thomas Benton took command of the highly specialized New York National Guard Civil Support Team on Sept. 13.
He replaced New York Air National Guard Maj. Rich Nunziato, a Slingerlands resident with 27 years of military service.
Benton joined the Army National Guard in 1995 after he spent eight years in the Navy, where he served as a nuclear plant operator. While in the Navy he worked as an engineering laboratory technician and diver. His service in the Guard has included time as a field medic, platoon leader and deputy commander of the civil support team.
“Commanding troops is the best duty an officer can have,” Benton said. “Being the commander of the [Civil Support Team] is special to me since I helped stand up the unit during my first tour back in 1998 [to] 2002.”
His awards have included a bronze star medal, Navy, Air Force and Army Achievement medals, a Meritorious Service medal and a NATO medal.
Benton, who is originally from Maryland, is married to Suzanne Murphy; they have two children.
The civil support team under Benton’s control is based out of Scotia and can be deployed throughout the Northeast.
They routinely attend major domestic events that could be a target for an attack, such as the U.S. Open and the World Series.
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