United States Army Sergeant First Class Andrew Zellar was born in Syracuse, New York, and he was raised in Cazenovia, New York. A lifelong resident of New York, Sergeant First Class Zellar enlisted in the New York Army National Guard as a Military Policeman in 2006.
Following the completion of Army Basic Combat Training and Military Police Advanced Training, Sergeant First Class Zellar was assigned to the 107th Military Police Company in Utica, New York, as a driver and then gunner. He later rose to the position of Team Leader when he was promoted to the rank of Specialist. In 2007 Sergeant First Class Zellar was selected to serve as a recruiter for the New York Army National Guard Recruiting Battalion. In this role, he was solely responsible for supporting the Army National Guards increased recruiting efforts in support of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and the surge in Iraq and later Afghanistan.
Following his success as a production recruiter, Sergeant First Class Zellar was selected to serve as the Syracuse Recruiting Station Commander. As a station commander, he was responsible for the health and welfare of four Soldiers and was charged with achieving a recruiting mission of enlisting 16 Soldiers into the New York Army National Guard annually. During his time as the Syracuse Recruiting Station Commander, Andrew exceeded his assigned mission by a minimum of 10 % each year.
In 2018, Sergeant First Class Zellar was handpicked to pilot a new position for the New York Army National Guard as a Military Science Instructor with the Syracuse University Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. During his tenure as a Military Science Instructor, Sergeant First Class Zellar trained and developed over 325 Army ROTC Cadets on their path to becoming commissioned officers in the United States Army. His efforts directly impacted the Syracuse University Army ROTC programs successful commissioning of 215 Army Second Lieutenants from 2018 to 2025.
In September 2026, Sergeant First Class Zellar will retire from the New York Army National Guard after a dedicated twenty-year career of service to his state and our nation. In retirement, he looks forward to enjoying time with his wife, Gloriann, daughters – Audrey and Gabriella, and son – Andrew Jr.
