ALBANY, N.Y. — A 23-year veteran of the U.S. military now serving as the top enlisted leader of the New York Army and Air National Guard is the first woman to hold the position.
State officials say Air National Command Chief Master Sgt. Amy Giaquinto took over the new post last month. The agency says she also became the first Air Guard noncommissioned officer to hold the job of senior enlisted adviser to the top ranked general in the New York National Guard.
The position had been held by male New York Army National Guard command sergeant majors since it was created in the 1970s.
Giaquinto’s military career began in 1984, with a three-year stint in the U.S. Army. After a 10-year break in service, the Ballston Spa resident joined the Air Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing in Schenectady County.
This story has been corrected to show Sgt. Amy Giaquinto is a 23-year veteran of the U.S. military, not a 23-year-old veteran of the U.S. military.