Fort Hamilton gets new commander

Fort Hamilton, the nation’s fourth oldest Army post, held a change of command ceremony July 12.

In a break with tradition, the event took place in the upstairs ballroom of the Community Club instead of outdoors on the bluff.

While it had its share of appropriate pomp and ceremony, sorely missed was a live band and a color guard marching front and center. Instead, the post’s colors were stationary in flag stands.

Trevor Loew, the base’s MWR director, was the emcee and did an excellent job making introductions and providing a smooth program narrative. The installation of the new garrison commander was facilitated by Vincent Grewatz, director of installation management command training. Just prior to the ceremony, Staff Sgt. David Teakell sang the national anthem and Capt. Scott F. Norman, the base’s chaplain, delivered the invocation. 

Following established protocols, Command Sgt. Maj. Eva Commons presented the garrison flag to outgoing commander Col. Craig Martin, who passed it to Grewatz, who in turn passed it to the new commander, Col. Brian Jacobs. Jacobs then returned the flag to Commons.

Col. Jacobs is a 1999 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Army War College and the Command and General Staff College. His most recent operational assignment was as commander of the Army garrison at Camp Casey in South Korea. He has served for 23 years in a variety of strategic, operational and combat assignments. 

Among the prominent guests in attendance were U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis; Steve Castleton, civilian aide to the secretary of the Army New York South; Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, adjutant general of the New York National Guard; Gen. Ellen Greely, special assistant to the NYC commissioner of Veterans Services; Bruce Tucker, director of the Veterans Administration Hospital; Ray Aalbue, chairman of the United Military Veterans of Kings County; William Guarinello, president of the Fort Hamilton Citizens Action Committee and chairman of Community Board 11; Col. Michael Gould (Ret.), a past Fort Hamilton garrison commander; FDNY Fire Chief Joseph Ferrante, Brooklyn borough commander; and FDNY Fire Chief Kevin Woods, Staten Island borough commander.