The Columbia County Exhibition Center hosted a full house, awash in red, white, and blue to honor Fort Gordon, the Augusta area’s largest and one of its oldest employers. It was established in 1941 as Camp Gordon.
The Columbia County Chamber, North Augusta Chamber, Alliance for Fort Gordon, Greater Augusta Black Chamber, Thomson-McDuffie Chamber, and Veteran Golfers Association co-sponsored the annual Military Appreciation Luncheon, part of the Executive Luncheon Series.
Among the speakers was Dr. Tom Clark, Executive Director of the Alliance for Fort Gordon, who retired from the post as Command Sergeant Major. He told ABD it was fitting to recognize the 32,000 men and women working on post, local retirees, and its more than $7.5 billion worth of economic impact on this region.
“I think, to take a couple minutes out of every day to honor the men and women who defend our freedoms, and to just let them know that they are appreciated, because the work is tough, the hours are long, and in times when they are tough, they’ll look back on this and they’ll remember the reasons they do it for our communities that we live in,” he said.
Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, agreed.
“Fort Gordon has a major economic impact on our community. So, for us, for the business community, I think it’s important that we continue to show that support for our military community, because they’re not always here long,” he said. “Some of them may retire here, but others are here for two years, and then they’re gone, but we want that two years to be a memorable two years, and we want them to come back if they retire.”
This year’s guest speaker was Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was also a member of the Seattle Seahawks and works in film and television. He used his background to create a non-profit organization, Merging Vets and Players.
Boyer produced a documentary last year to mark the 80th anniversary of the Landing at Normandy in World War II. He spoke with some of the soldiers who were part of the operation. There are only about 200 surviving veterans.
“I think essentially the theme of this documentary, a lot of things that are important in our society, is not to get historical amnesia,” he said. “Remember where we came from, remember who we are, who we can be, what the flag really does represent, what it seems to represent, for all of us, and then working together to get there.”
The luncheon also announced the recipient of this year’s Patriot Award. The honor went to SOFtact Solutions.
“Our business has benefited tremendously from not only the structure in this community support of military members and their families, but we’ve also benefited from the talent that is generated from Fort Gordon that makes the decision to stay and raise their families here after they take off their uniform,” said Sam Anderson, the company’s Executive Vice President. “That’s really what this is all about, making this community a great place to live, work, and play, and so we’re very proud as a company to be part of this community.”
SofTact Solutions is a woman-owned small business, based in North Carolina, with a local office in the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center. It provides cybersecurity and IT solutions along with other programs.
