Farewell, Colonel Gould!

The Southwest Brooklyn community wished Colonel Michael Gould, outgoing garrison commander of the Fort Hamilton Army Base, a fond farewell at a special dinner held in his honor on Friday, July 20.

Gould will begin a new position at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. His replacement, Colonel Eluyn Ginés, comes to Fort Hamilton from Kuwait after a deployment with the Third U.S. Army.

Gould thanked the community for their support.

“It has been an absolutely incredible experience. Fort Hamilton is a gem for the Army, New York City and the community of Brooklyn,” he told this paper. “Our closeness, partnerships and friendships with the local community has been amazing.”

In his two years at Fort Hamilton, Gould worked to build a better relationship between civilians and the army.

“I feel like the Army is made up of the entire country. The Army is our Army and it’s your Army. It’s important that the Army reflect the society that we serve and the only way to do that is to have the citizens understand the role of the Army and what its missions are,” he explained.

“It’s important that people know what goes on at Fort Hamilton and what the Army is,” Gould went on. “I think we kind of have to open up again and let the community in.”

Under Gould’s leadership, the fort renewed ties to the community, with such groups as Narrows Community Theater and the Bay Ridge Community Council holding events there. Many groups had held events at the base before 9/11, but, following the terrorist attacks, were unable to, until Gould arrived and committed himself to finding a way to allow the groups to use the base again.

Gould added that this corner of the borough is one of the most patriotic places that he has encountered.

“I appreciate from the bottom of my heart the support from Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst. All the leaders and its citizens are so special, but most especially the service and families at Fort Hamilton,” he concluded.