C The onnection Hamilton The Face of the Army in New York City Vol. 11 No. 11 DECEMBER 2017 THE FACE OF THE ARMY IN NEW YORK CITY Vol. 13 No. 8 Fort Hamilton gets new commander Story and photos by C ol. Andrew S. Zieseniss assumed command of U.S. July 26 at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, taking the reins from outgoing commander Col. Peter Sicoli. Sicoli s new assignment will be as deputy director of the G3/5/7 of Installation Management Command, managing its directors and staff, in San Antonio, Texas. I truly appreciate all the support I received from directors and their staff, he said as he named and thanked many. I will never forget the dedication they showed through all the challenges working for this garrison presents. It was indeed an honor to serve as their commander. Installation Management Command, Atlantic Region Director Vince Grewatz presided over the ceremony and spoke highly of both Sicoli and Zieseniss. Anyone who s familiar with the business of installation management knows that it is not for the faint of heart, Grewatz said. It s a full contact sport, and over the last several years, it s faced a lot of challenges, but none as much as they have here at Fort Hamilton, which continues to display proven success with the professionalism of its staff led by great leadership. In the past two years, that has been Pete Sicoli, he continued. Leaders have to capable, innovative and motivated to solidify success. Pete is one of those leaders who has continued to challenge his team and partnerships to up their game to succeed. As the ceremonial, change of command tradition dictates, the command sergeant major prepares and passes the colors to the outgoing commander, who then passes them to the lead commander, who then passes them to the incoming commander, signifying the acceptance of leadership, who then returns the colors to the command sergeant major. Col. Sicoli s greatest legacy will be the team he hands over to Col. Zieneniss, another very capable commander, Grewatz said. Andy has demonstrated his contribution, passion and dedication to Soldiers and their families. He brings a long history of excellence in both staff and command positions from around the world, and I have absolute confidence that he will take the garrison team to even greater heights. Welcome to the team. Affectionately known as Col. Z or Zee since before he was a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Zieseniss hails from Saint Louis, Mo., and graduated as an infantry officer in 1995. Although my roots are here in the Bronx where my father was born and raised, I really didn t know a lot about Fort Hamilton, he said. But my wife has been wanting to come to New York City since before were married 10 years ago, so when the opportunity came, we gladly choose to come here. He said his previous assignment at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. as a military assistant for both Secretaries of Defense Ashton Carter and James Mattis and working with several civilians, more or less, helped toward preparing him for the unique position as the garrison commander for the Brooklyn-based installation where working with civilians and establishing relationships with public figures are key. See Change on page 4 Photos clockwise from far left: Col. Andrew Zieseniss, incoming commander, accepts the U.S. colors from Director Vince Gewatz during the USAG change of command ceremony at the Armed Forces Reserve Center July 26, then addresses his new staff and guests. A welcome cake awaits slicing at the change of command reception.
Sicoli accepts new assignment Story and photo by U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton bid farewell to outgoing garrison commander Col. Peter Sicoli after serving two years here. Sicoli s new assignment will be as deputy director of the G3/5/7 of Installation Management Command, managing its directors and staff, in San Antonio, Texas where the native New Yorker plans to settle upon retirement. It was almost full circle for me after returning to the place where I enlisted in 1989, he said. Not only is it my home, but this assignment has been like no other I ve had before. It was indeed an honor to serve as the commander here. He said he will never forget the unique position to not only serve as commander of a highly professional staff and employees here, but the tremendous support of the New York and Brooklyn communities as well. It s just amazing how much love there is for this installation and how much respect there is for the uniform, he said. Sicoli said Fort Hamilton has been the culmination of his career and his dreams have been realized beyond measure. This is all surreal to me, he said. Many years ago, I never really thought that I d be commanding at the colonel level because I wasn t sure what my plan was. But I m glad to have made the right decision to stay on this path, and the Army and Fort Hamilton have been really good to me. I will miss everyone. Sicoli served in a variety of command and staff positions in combat brigades throughout the U.S. and overseas to include multiple combat deployments to Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Prior to assuming command here, he served as the operations officer with the 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. Other assignments include scout platoon leader, troop executive officer, and squadron motor officer with the 1st Squadron, 7th Cav., 1st Cav. Division at Fort Hood, Texas; armor branch assignment officer for the Human Resource Command in Alexandria, Va.; executive officer to the director of the Office of Business Transformation, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., commander of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas and others. Among his many awards, Sicoli has the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters. Col. Peter Sicoli, outgoing U.S. commander, thanks his Soldiers and staff as he bids farewell and heads to Installation Management Command in San Antonio, Texas. To the colors Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Milhorn, left, accepts the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division colors from Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite during the change of command ceremony at the Fort Hamilton community club July 19. (Photo by Ildiko Reisenbigler, New York District) PAGE 2
Firefighters reclaim softball trophy I Story and photos by t s well known how fire- fighters have to be able to withstand extreme heat conditions, but who knew they could bring the heat with fiery dominance? They did, that s who. Ladder 147 of the Fire Department of New York, or Da Pride, was on a mission to reclaim the title as they smoldered the competition in the ninth annual 1st Responders Softball Tournament and picnic July 13 at Taylor Sports Field. Da Pride s last championship title was five years ago when they won two years in a row. They easily went undefeated against all teams that included the host team U.S., Navy recruit- ers, the Marines and the New York Police Department s School Safety Division, blazing each by at least 10 runs. Their toughest competition, the defending champions U.S. Coast Guard, who in their own right slaughtered teams by 10 as well, survived only three innings in the championship match, losing 12-2. This year s competition was much better than I can remember it s been in recent years, said Da Pride coach Billy Johnson. We got some really great hits with everyone batting well which helped us in the end. It s hard to beat a team that just keeps hitting. That s true to an extent, but with the competition s mounting errors, it only added to the firefighters reign. It s a little unsettling as three-peaters to lose, but ultimately, this is a great event Fort Hamilton hosts with the opportunity to build comradery with the city s first responders and other services, said Tristan McMorran, coach for the Coasties. The firefighters were indeed our toughest competition to date. They hit the ball really well, but like we all always say, there s always next year. Photos clockwise from left: U.S. Coast Guard first baseman James Sanford stretches and attempts to catch a ball thrown too high to tag out firefighter Mike Kimball who was called safe. Third baseman Alex Revilla tags firefighter John Dreher as he slides hard into third base for a close safe call. U.S. Coast Guard second baseman Cody Cacal and outfielder John Ware struggle to catch a blooper that scored another run for the firefighters. PAGE 3
Change cont. from page 1 His first assignment was with the 101st Airborne Division where he served many leadership positions to include rifle company executive officer and executive officer for Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment and has since held several leadership positions. In 2012, Zieseniss assumed command of 2 nd Battalion, th 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. While in command, he deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. He then moved to 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division and served as the deputy brigade commander. In 2016, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., then served two years as a military assistant to both secretaries before his arrival to Fort Hamilton. His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters among many others. Command attention Col. Peter Sicoli, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton outgoing commander, shows his appreciation and presents the Commander s Award for Public Service to first responders New York Police Department Commissioner James O Neill, Lt. John DiMarco of the NYPD and Fire Department of New York City s Chief Richard Howe, Chief Wayne Cartwright, FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro and Chief James Leonard. (Photos courtesy of NYPD, FDNY and Chief Robert Baker, DES) PAGE 4
Fort Hamilton Announcements Run, Hide, Fight exercise Fort Hamilton is hosting a Run, Hide, Fight active shooter exercise August 3 at the post theater from 10 a.m. noon. For more information, call 718-630-4477. Community Day Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation will host community day pool party August 3 from noon 4 p.m. at the community club pool. For more information, call 718-630- 4771. 68th Precinct will host its annual National Night Out Against Crime August 7 at 79th Street and Shore Road Park from 6-9 p.m. Information tables, children activities, live music, food and more will be available. All are invited to attend. Brooklyn 9/11 commemoration Brooklyn is hosting its annual 9/11 Memorial ceremony September 11 at 69th Street and Shore Road Pier at 7 p.m. All are invited to attend. For more information, call 718-238-6044. Women s Equality Day observance Fort Hamilton will host its annual Women s Equality Day observance August 9 at the community club from 11 a.m. 12:30 p.m. For more information, call 718-630-4477. Battle of Brooklyn exercise The Harbor Defense Museum will host a Battle of Brooklyn Exercise followed by presentations by the guest speaker/historian August 18 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reservations are preferred. For more information, call 718-630-4349/4360. 9/11 commemoration Fort Hamilton will host its annual 9/11 Commemoration ceremony September 7 at the community club flag pole at 11.a.m. For more information, call 718-630-4477. POW/MIA recognition Fort Hamilton will host its annual Prisoner of War/Missing in Action ceremony September 21 at the community club. For more information, call 718-630-4477. Meet John Calamia Compiled by Trevor Loew Hometown: Bensonhurst, Brooklyn Service: 15 years as an USO Volunteer Latest accomplishment: Completing my recertification to become a NYC Board of Elections trainer. Last movie seen: Despicable Me 2 Hobby: Love working out. Why I do what I do: I wasn t able to join the military so I do my best to serve in this capacity. Words to live by: Socialism works really well until you run out of other people s money. -Margaret Thatcher Hispanic Heritage Month Fort Hamilton will host its annual Hispanic Heritage Month Observance October 11 at the community club. For more information, call 718-630-4477. Disability Employment Awareness Fort Hamilton will host its National Disability Employment Awareness observance October 18 at the community club. For more information, call 718-630-4477. Retiree Appreciation Day Fort Hamilton will host is annual Retiree Appreciation Day at the post theater, fitness center and community club October 27 from 9 a.m. 2 p.m. For more information, call 718-630-4552. Outside the gate National Night Out The New York Police Department s June was National Safety Month. Though it has past, the National Safety Council would like all to make safety a lifelong concern. Help eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes, communities and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. For more information, visit: https://www.nsc.org/work-safety/getinvolved/national-safety-month. PAGE 5