VBC Meet and Greet with Brigadier General John Andonie

Please join us for our Veteran's Business Council Meet and Greet meeting via Zoom, on Thursday, September 17th from 1:00pm-2:00pm.  We will be having a discussion with the NYS National Guard and their response to COVID-19.  


Speaker Brigadier General John Andonie Biography:

Brigadier General John Andonie is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point who was commissioned as an armor officer in 1989.

Andonie was first assigned to the 194th Separate Armored Brigade at Fort Knox, Kentucky where he served in a number of basic officer positions. In 1995 he was assigned to the 11 Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, California where he served as a regimental and squadron staff officer. He also served as Commander of Troop a, 1st Squadron 11 Armored Cavalry Regiment.

The 11 Armored Cavalry Regiment serves as the Opposing Force or OPFOR for U.S. Army and Marine Corp armored and mechanized units training at the Fort Irwin' National Training Center.

In 1998 Andonie was assigned as Assistant Professor of Military Science at Siena College in Loudonville. He served in that position until 2000 when he joined the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division.

As a member of the 42nd Infantry Division he served as chief of plans, deputy operations and operations officer. In 2004/2005 he deployed to Tikrit Iraq as the deputy operations officer of the 42nd Infantry Division. Andonie was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the division's tactical command post in Tikrit, Iraq.

After returning from Iraq he served as the commander of the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry-New York City's famous "Fighting 69th"-and as the Deputy Joint Operations and Operations Officer for the New York National Guard before serving as Chief of Staff for the New York Army National Guard.

Andonie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in history from the United States Military Academy and a masters of business from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and he is a graduate of the United States Army War College.

His awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Ribbon and the Parachutists Badge. He has been awarded the Order of St. George, which is presented to outstanding armor officers, and the Order of St. Maurice, which is awarded to infantry officers who have distinguished themselves.

Andonie and his wife Kathleen have two daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.