Courtesy photo Col. Glenn Kennedy, garrison commander. Fort Gordon's new garrison commander has a unique perspective which he believes helps him to better serve the military living and working on post.

"My father was killed in Vietnam," said Col. Glenn Kennedy, who took over as the garrison commander on July 27.

His mother later remarried and chose another Soldier as Kennedy's stepfather. They retired from the Army and live in Columbia County.

"Having grown up in a military Family, I feel like I know the challenges," he said.

Garrison commander is a different type of position from leadership posts within the military. As a city manager of sorts, Kennedy is overseeing a variety of programs and projects designed to improve the quality of life for those living and working at Fort Gordon.

In his few weeks on the job, Kennedy has heeded the advice of his predecessor, Col. John Holwick, and busied himself in learning the directorates and what their functions are.

"He did say one thing 'Get down and talk to all of the directorates. These people know what they are doing; they are the experts. They know what to do and trust them,'" said Kennedy.

There are numerous new construction projects on the boards as well as renovation projects. New barracks and barracks upgrades are well underway, but Kennedy said new projects are on the horizon.

"Right now, there is a lot of construction going on. Fort Gordon is like Augusta. It's going in the right direction," he said.

Some economic stimulus funds have made their way to Fort Gordon and will result in numerous projects, he said.

"There's a wide variety," he said. "Some are construction; some are environmental."

Although he grew up in a military Family, Kennedy calls Columbia County home. He spent five years during his junior and senior high school years in the area, graduating from Evans High School in 1982.

"We were really excited to leave the D.C. area," said Kennedy. "My wife always wanted to come back to Georgia."

His wife, Angela, is from Marietta.

Kennedy said he's looking forward to three years at Fort Gordon, which he has been told will go by fast.

"In three years, people won't recognize Fort Gordon," he said.