The final edition of Manny on the Street took place in the Cashe Garden shade Friday morning.

The outgoing – in many definitions of the word – garrison commander Col. Manny Ramirez turned over the duties of heading up the Fort Stewart garrison to Col. Marc Austin. Col. Ramirez is headed to Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base as the deputy national cryptologic representative.

“The Fort Stewart garrison soldiers and civilians are the finest in the Army,” Col. Ramirez said. “They love their work. I am extremely proud to say I was their commander. This is absolutely the best job I’ve had in 25 years of service to this country.”

Col. Ramirez, who conducted his “Manny on the Street” social media interviews and referred to himself as “your friendly neighborhood garrison commander,” also reflected on the challenges he and his team faced during his two years in command.

Among those hurdles were the COVID-19 pandemic, which was in full throttle when Ramirez took command, and a power outage caused by wildlife.

Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, the 3rd Infantry Division commanding general, pointed out Col. Ramirez was known to dress as the Cat in the Hat to promote MWR events and to hide in the backseat of cars going through an inspection at a gate.

“Your time at Fort Stewart has been nothing short of incredible,” Maj. Gen Norrie said. “He managed to bring an infectious charisma into everything he did. You quickly became a household name. Manny in the Street brought information and humor into our lives.”

Brenda McCullough, director of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Readiness, thanked Col. Ramirez for “the daily miracles” he and his staff provided every day.

“Garrison command is a tough job,” McCullough said. “Col. Ramirez led Fort Stewart with a level of competence and humility that is rarely seen.”

McCullough praised Col. Ramirez for effecting six intergovernmental support agreements that resulted in $1 million in cost avoidance for the base, along with assisting in five brigade combat team deployments and overseeing $16 million in barracks repairs.

Under Col. Ramirez, Fort Stewart also started a career skills partnership program with Delta and worked with its civilian neighbors on hurricane preparedness.

McCullough said Col. Ramirez conducted his duties with “unparalleled expertise and grace” and his subordinates cited his “unwavering selfless and can-do attitude.”

“Col. Ramirez is truly a servant leader,” she said.

Col. Austin is returning to Fort Stewart after graduating from the Senior Service College at the Royal College of Defence Studies in Great Britain. Among his assignments prior to that posting was commanding the 2/69 Armor Battalion of the 3rd ID’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.

As Maj. Gen. Norrie noted, the Austin has relocated safely from London.

“Their household goods have not,” he said. “They are somewhere in the Atlantic right now.”

Maj. Gen. Norrie reflected on serving with Austin when both were in Germany and said the incoming garrison commander is “absolutely awesome.”

Even after 25 years in the Army, Austin said Fort Stewart is home, so much so that his phone number now begins with 912.

“I’ve never been brought into a place like Fort Stewart and the surrounding community,” he said. “The way we are received by the local officials, the local community, the school districts, everything is absolutely amazing.”

Col. Austin said he will continue to work together to support the soldiers, their families and the communities as a team.

“It doesn’t stop at the gates. It’s one big entity,” he said. “I am here to help. I am not the cog that makes everything happen.”

Austin follows a commander Maj. Gen. Norrie called “a phenomenal and beloved, absolutely beloved, underscored and all caps, leader.”

Col. Ramirez thanked the garrison soldiers and civilians for their work during the past 26 months

“Together we were able to survive a global pandemic, partner with our Coastal Empire communities, prepare several units for deployment, prepare for hurricanes, endure wildlife-induced power outages, and manage barracks and housing challenges while passionately advocating for improved quality of life for soldiers and their families.

“I am proud my family and I have been a part of something truly special,” Col. Ramirez said.