The Florida Army National Guard’s largest major command, which is based in Pinellas Park, is getting a new commander.
Col. Ralph Ribas will assume command of the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) during a ceremony Saturday at the C.W. Bill Young Armed Forces Reserve Center in Pinellas Park, according to a FLANG media release.
Ribas, who serves as the deputy commander for the 53rd IBCT, replaces Col. Mike Canzoneri, as the unit commander.
The 53rd IBCT is composed of more than 3,000 Florida Army National Guard Soldiers throughout Florida and has subordinate units in St. Petersburg, Lakeland, Miami, Orlando and Panama City.
Ribas was commissioned through the University of Miami Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1987, and has served in several leadership assignments within the Florida Army National Guard, according to the release. In 2007 he assumed command of the Orlando-based 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, and deployed with the unit to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He is a traditional Guardsman with full time employment at U.S. Southern Command, and is a resident of Pembroke Pines.
Canzoneri took command of the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team on Dec. 1, 2012, according to FLANG spokesman Master Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa.
“Canzoneri rose through the ranks of our infantry units, enlisting in 1982, attending OCS in 1986, and leading at every level from platoon to command of the 53d IBCT,” said Kielbasa. “In 1995 he was recognized nationally with the Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award at the Pentagon. His major deployments include Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-4 as the 3-124 Battalion Executive Officer and Operation Inspired Gambit in Pakistan in the Spring of 2008 as the Squadron Commander for 1-153 Cav.”
Canzoneri received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Florida State University and is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College, according to Kielbasa. His military decorations include the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Achievement Medal w/2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Humanitarian Service Medal for Hurricanes Andrew and Opal, and the Order of St Maurice. He is currently the Chief of Staff for the Florida National Guard
The ceremony takes place Sat., Jan. 10 at 3 p.m.