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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A New York Army National Guard aviation unit with elements downstate and in the western part of the state is getting a new commander. National Guard officials say Lt. Col. Todd Bookless of Greenwich, Connecticut, takes command of the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion on Saturday. He'll begin at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, where the unit is conducting its annual two-week training exercises. Bookless replaces Lt. Col. Michael Charnley of Churchville, near Rochester. Charnley has commanded the battalion since 2014. He'll be attending the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on a full-time basis in the fall. Bookless is a U.S. Military Academy graduate who served in Iraq. The Rochester-based 642nd Aviation Support Battalion also has elements Dunkirk and Olean, as well as in Brooklyn and on Long Island.

Rochester-based Army Guard aviation unit gets new commander