Fort Hamilton Army Garrison took a night to salute its friends on June 27, giving out awards to more than 60 Brooklyn luminaries.
Base spokeswoman Allison Kohler said the idea for the event came from the fort’s commander, Col. Michael Gould, who will be departing for a position at the Pentagon on June 25 after two years of guarding New York Harbor.
“He wanted to formally thank those who supported Fort Hamilton in the time he was here,” said Kohler.
Kohler said that the base’s public affairs office helped the colonel compile a list of local veterans groups, elected officials, media outlets, and civic groups — who’d worked with Fort Hamilton during his tenure — that he would acknowledge at the ceremony.
“We came up with a list of people we’d interacted with a lot in the past few years, and Col. Gould went through it and selected specific awards,” said Kohler.
The Bay Ridge Courier was among Gould’s picks, and esteemed Courier Life Deputy Editor Tom Tracy — a 15-year veteran of some of toughest beats in the borough — said receiving the award was quite an honor.
“The award is beautiful,” Tracy said. “I’m not getting any work done because I’m constantly staring at it.”
The base gave a special award to longtime civilian liaison Larry Morrish for his 43 years of service to the community and the U.S. military.
Kohler said the event was an important way for the fort to reaffirm its ties to Brooklyn.
“It was important to recognize the supporters of Fort Hamilton, because we really value that relationship,” said Kohler.
Reach reporter Will Bredderman at (718) 260–4507 or e-mail him at wbredderman@cnglocal.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/WillBredderman
