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By Max Jaeger
Brooklyn Daily
For one day, it was their duty to decompress.
Members of the state’s National Guard got to kick back and enjoy a family day at Fort Hamilton’s bluff on July 13. The Guard holds the annual cookout and awards ceremony to boost morale and thank the men and women for their service, a commanding officer said.
“We don’t get any salary, and we train very hard, so it’s nice to spend part of a day where we get to relax and be one giant family,” said Lt. Col. Marty Ingram, deputy commander of the 88th Brigade.
Members of the 88th and 14th brigades and their families — about 130 people total — assembled for a relaxing day of barbecue, sports, and conviviality, said another member of the 88th Brigade.
“To tell you the truth, the basketball might have been the most fun I had all the day,” said Harper, who played a pickup game against the children of three fellow Guardsmen.
But it was not all play, Ingram said.
“We also did formation, which is not fun but is necessary,” he said.
The Guard also presented a series of awards, including a Medal of Valor to Sgt. Pete Morichi, who risked his life to save a victim from a burning car following a crash, Ingram said.
Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (D–Bay Ridge) also came out to show their support.
All in all, the day was a victory, said Ingram.
“Family day is great for moral — plus the view on the bluff is just classic,” he said.