Michel Natali of Halfmoon, a retired State Police investigator and an Iraq War veteran, was promoted to major general during a ceremony at the New York Army National Guard Headquarters in Latham on Friday.
Major General Ray Shields, a State Officer, promoted Natali at the ceremony. Natali’s wife Barbara and Shields lit the soldier’s stars in their uniform during the ceremony.
Natali, a Watertown resident, served in the tenth mountain division before a state soldier after leaving the army active.While with the tenth, Natali was deployed in Somalia and Haiti.
Lately, he’s Deputy Chief Officer of the Army National Guard.He attends Shields and oversees the organization of the 10,300 members of the New York National Guard.
Natali serves as Deputy Commander General of the Army National Guard of the U.S. Army Cyber Center for Excellence at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
During the reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, Natali served as dual-status commander for New York, commanding the National Guard and federal active duty forces assigned to the reaction in New York.
Natali retired from the New York State Police branch as an investigator after 20 years. He spent his early years in the State Police patrolling Jefferson County. Upon retirement, he joined the New York State Intelligence Center.
He has served as an assistant NCO as a full-time National Guard officer since 2017 and before that, he commanded the 53rd New York National Guard Troop Command, which was founded at Camp Smith Training Site in the Hudson Valley, with 4,000 infantrymen in ensembles across the state.
Natali joined the Army after obtaining a commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.In 1991.In 1991, Natali was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum.In the 10th Mountain Division, he served as commander of the corporate headquarters of the 110th Military Intelligence Battalion and in the intelligence segment of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum.
Natali joined the 27th Infantry Brigade of the New York National Guard, based in Syracuse, in 1996.In 2004, he joined the 42nd Infantry Division, founded in Troy, and in 2005, moved to Tikrit, Iraq, as an assistant intelligence officer for the department..
His assignments included the Deputy Commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Brigade, the Commander of the Regional Training Institute 106, the Commander of the New York National Guard Drug Task Force, and the Deputy Commander of Troop Command 53.He also served as Director of Intelligence and Security at Joint Forces Headquarters.
Natali earned a bachelor of arts degree from Norwich University, a master’s degree in public administration from Marist College, and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War School.Natali graduated from the School of Command and Staff.
He has won a Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star Medal, 4 Meritorious Service Medals, Three Army Medals of Merit, two Army Medals of Excellence, a Meritorious Unity Award, a Superior Unity Award, a Bronze Star Humanitarian Service Medal, New York State Freedom Defense Medal, New York State Drug Service Medal Army parachutes.
Dinner for veterans
A veterans service memorial dinner will be held Thursday at the Paul Nigra Center at 2736 State Highway 30 in Gloversville.
Due to COVID-19, the meal will be a picnic behind the wheel starting at 6 p.m.7 p.m. Speaker presentations will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The loose dinner is for veterans, on-call and their families.
We have to book. Contact [email protected] or Ashley at 518-762-5382, Ext. 1017.
Anyone wishing to practice COVID-19 social estrangement protocols can stay and pay attention to guest speakers at a table in a tent.
News of your troops and can be sent to Duty Calls, Terry Brown, Times Union, Box 15000, Albany, NY 12212 or [email protected].