A leadership change has taken place at the New York Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), located at Fort Hamilton right outside Boro Park.

Lt. Col. John T. O'Connell officially took over as commander from Lt. Col. Matthew M. Barack during a ceremony held on July 24.

For those unfamiliar with the facility, the New York MEPS is the place where people who want to join any branch of the U.S. military—including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force—go before they can enlist. There, applicants undergo medical exams, background checks, aptitude testing, and other evaluations to determine whether they qualify for military service.

The center serves thousands of applicants from New York and the surrounding region each year, making it a key part of the military recruitment process.

The ceremony marked the official transfer of responsibility for overseeing the facility and its day-to-day operations from the outgoing commander to the incoming commander.