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Mount Vernon Soldier To Take Command Of 'Fighting 69th'

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. -- One of Mount Vernon's own, Army National Guard Lt. Col. Vincent Heintz, will take command of the historic 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry on Oct. 19. 

Lt. Col. Vincent Heintz, of Mount Vernon, is set to take command of the Army National Guard's "Fighting 69th."

Lt. Col. Vincent Heintz, of Mount Vernon, is set to take command of the Army National Guard's "Fighting 69th."

Photo Credit: Courtesy Army National Guard

Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, adjutant general of the State of New York, recently announced that Heintz would take command of the infantry unit known as the "Fighting 69th" in a change of command ceremony on Oct. 19 at Fort Dix, according to a news  release. Heintz, a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, replaces Lt. Col. James Gonyo II, according to the release. 

Heintz enlisted in 1988, attended basic combat training as aat the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga. and earned his officer commission as a second lieutenant in 1991, according to the release.

In 2004, Heintz deployed his rifle company to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom and the company "conducted hundreds of raids, ambushes and reconnaissance patrols against Ba'athist insurgents, al Qaeda cells and Shi'ite militias supported by Iran," according to the release. 

In civilian life, Heintz practices law and has served as a prosecutor for 13 years in New York City, according to the release, "focusing his work on the investigation and prosecution of organized crime, white-collar crime and terrorism financing." Heintz and his wife, Kathryn, have two children, Sarah, 18, and Daniel, 15, according to the release. 

The 1-69th Infantry is headquartered in the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City. The battalion's Company A is also based there, while Companies B and D art at the Farmingdale (Long Island) Armed Forces Reserve Center and Company C at Camp Smith in Cortlandt Manor, according to the release.

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