Senator Golden Bestows Statewide Recognition On Colonel Tracey Nicholson

Brooklyn- State Senator Marty Golden (R-C, Brooklyn), a member of the New York State Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Military and Veteran Affairs, this week honored Colonel Tracey E. Nicholson, the Commander of Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton Army Base, as a 2007 New York State Senate Woman of Distinction at a luncheon, attended by over 150 community leaders, clergy and veterans at the Bay Ridge Manor.

Senator Marty Golden selected Colonel Tracey E. Nicholson for this honor and presented the Colonel with an award in honor of this milestone achievement. The Woman of Distinction Program is organized by the New York State Senate annually.

Senator Marty Golden stated, "Honor, bravery, courage and a strong sense of duty are what characterize Colonel Tracey E. Nicholson as a person, and these traits, have translated into a successful military career. She sets an example for us all and encourages us to better ourselves and be the very best of citizens that we can be. Colonel Nicholson’s service in the Army has defended this great country and has made it a better place to live at the same time."

An Adjutant General Corps Officer, Colonel Nicholson is the Commander of Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York. She is the first woman to command this base in its 180 year history and is one of the first African-American women to command an installation in the continental United States.

In her 24 years of service in the United States Army, Colonel Nicholson has excelled in every position she has held and has risen to every challenge placed before her. She has been a commander five other times, including serving as the head of the Army Chemical and Military Police Center. Some of her other duties have included two tours in Korea, a stint as Deputy chief of the Army's POW/MIA Offices, and service as the Chief of the Army's Casualty Division and Director of Personnel Service Support for the Adjutant General during the global war on terror.

Colonel Nicholson has also received numerous awards and decorations for her dedicated service to the country. These awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.

Golden continued, "Colonel Nicholson has made a difference in the community-most notably leading the efforts to save Fort Hamilton Army Base from closure last year. And with an extraordinary staff, she has been able to make Fort Hamilton Army Base, and their works, truly a part of this community. Colonel Nicholson is truly a woman of distinction without a doubt, a woman of such great accomplishment, a woman that has made an impact throughout our neighborhood, our City, State and our Nation."