Kentish Guards

Rhode Island Historic Militia
Chartered October 29th, 1774

Line Officers

Colonel Theodore H. Aschman II, Commandant
Colonel Aschman enlisted in the Kentish Guards in 1995. He started off as a rifle man and has served in various positions including Color Guard, Ordnance Officer, Line Captain, Line Major and LTC Executive Officer. He holds company service awards and shooting qualification badges. He is also a past commodore of the Edgewood Yacht Club and a past master of his Masonic Lodge.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew McAllister, Executive Officer
Lt. Colonel Matthew McAllister joined the company in 2018. He has participated as a bass drummer in the Fife and Drum Corp, Quartermaster, and Line Major of the company. 

Major Christopher Myers, Line Major/Band Master
Major Myers joined the Kentish Guard in 2004. He has served as Fife Sergeant and leader of the Fife and Drum Corp for many years. He is a skilled musician and well respected in the Fife and Drum Corp community. He donates a lot of time teaching his craft to students both young and old. 

Major Jon Buzzi, Business Manager/Paymaster/Treasurer
MAJ Jon H Buzzi first joined the Kentish Guards Fife and Drum Corps as a Snare Drummer in 1987, after a few years hiatus from playing, including various wind ensembles and community band gigs and a stint in the RI Matadors Drum & Bugle Corps. An interesting sideline is that growing up in Barrington, and always having a passion for history, he would see the Kentish Guards in the Bristol Fourth of July parades growing up. Upon starting his career at Cherry Semiconductor in East Greenwich, he happened to see a newspaper clipping showing the KGF&DC on the office wall of fellow co-worker and fifer Paul Ferrara, and the connection was made. He finally became a member of the militia Company in 2000 and started assisting then Business Manager MAJ Rick Corbett, eventually taking over when MAJ Corbett moved out of State. In 2019, he was asked by then COL Paul Ferrara to take on the role of Paymaster/Treasurer/Business Manager and continues in this role, as well as that of Snare Drummer, to this day.  

Major Mathew Finlay, Adjutant
Major Finlay joined the Kentish Guards in May of 2005. He started out as a rifleman in the unit and was promoted to Lieutenant, then Captain as Company Quartermaster, then Ordinance Department lead officer. He has served on various committees over the years supporting the company and has participated in preserving the historic armory. As adjutant he handles all paperwork and enlistments and coordinates with the Adjutant General’s office. Major Finlay is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces. 

CPT Katherine Besnier, Line Captain 

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