New garrison commander takes helm at Fort Drum; replaces former Thousand Islands student

Jul. 20—FORT DRUM — The north country's military post officially has a new garrison commander after a change of command ceremony Thursday morning.

The now former Garrison Commander, Col. James J. Zacchino Jr., a former Thousand Islands Central School student, is heading to Fort Gregg-Adams in Virginia and will serve as deputy quartermaster commandant. The new garrison commander of Fort Drum is Col. Matthew R. Myer.

Myer said that his family is extremely important to him and they are already enjoying what the north country has to offer.

He also offered his thanks to Brenda Lee McCullough, U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Readiness director, and Maj. Gen. Gregory K. Anderson, commander of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, for their welcome to the area.

Myer said he and his family are extremely excited to be in the north country, and complimented the work of Zacchino.

"Col. James Zacchino has done such a wonderful job here," he said.

Myer said that as he was passing the colors, he was thinking of the great responsibility he now has, and that it was "humbling to know that, not only there's a lot of people that are trusting you to do a good job, but that you have the privilege to get to work with all the wonderful people in your command."

He previously served as a platoon leader in the 4th Infantry Division, where he deployed to combat to Tikrit and Mosul, Iraq, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom I in 2003-04.

Myer has also previously served as a company commander, in the Joint Special Operations Command, took command of 1-501st Infantry Bn in summer 2018 in Anchorage, Alaska, served on the commanding general's staff of first corps at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and then attended Army War College.

"From July 2021 to July 2023, you led the U.S. army garrison and provided exceptional support to the senior commander," McCullough said to Zacchino. Zacchino served as garrison commander from July 2021 to July 2023.

Zacchino was in charge of youth activities during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with minimal impasse because of his leadership, McCullough said. She said more than 125,000 soldiers and families were able to participate in many family, morale welfare and recreation events. That saw 2.6 million customers during that time.

He also championed Fort Drum for the STARBASE academy that brought science, technology, engineering and math curriculum to more than 1,500 military-dependent fifth graders.

McCullough also welcomed Col. Myer.

"Matt, I'm excited to see you assume command," she said.

During Zacchino's speech, he thanked a multitude of people.

"This garrison workforce is so good at what they do, keeping the city of Fort Drum magically running," he said. "But it's not magic that keeps Fort Drum running now, and into the future, it's people, a phenomenal workforce of people."

He mentioned the two major snowstorms the north country saw over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Snow plow and snowbrush crews worked nonstop to ensure road access for emergency services, and runway clearance for strategic airlift," he said.

Zacchino also thanked the north country community as a whole for being "great partners, teammates and neighbors."

"Your unwavering support and collaboration have been instrumental in fostering a strong bond between Fort Drum and the surrounding communities," he said.

Zacchino said he's having mixed emotions about leaving Fort Drum.

"It's a bittersweet moment," he said. "As much as I'm excited to go on to other endeavors, I'm really going to miss serving as garrison commander, serving the community of Fort Drum, and being a part of the north country."

Zacchino said he is going to miss the people at Fort Drum and the north country.

The north country wasn't too unfamiliar to Zacchino as he previously went to high school at Thousand Island High School for his freshman to junior years, and said that it meant a little more to him serving in the north country.

"Serving here has been like serving at home with family and friends," he said. "It was an incredible experience."

He said that he had people who worked with him on Fort Drum that sat next to him in English class.

"So not a typical experience for a garrison commander or anyone in the army," he said. "That made it much more like a family-feel and definitely made it more fun and enjoyable that I could serve with those I know in a place that I've lived at before and for all intents and purposes I consider home," he said.

Myer holds many awards including the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with two OLC, Meritorious Service Medal with two OLC, Army Commendation medal with V device, Joint Service Achievement medal, Army Achievement Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal, among many other awards.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in systems engineering from the U.S. Military Academy and a Master of Science in defense analysis with an emphasis in irregular warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School.

"The Myer family is excited to be part of your community and we want to continue to be a great asset for Fort Drum," he said.