Nothing gold can stay: Division leaders depart Mountain Post

By Sgt. 1st Class Leah KilpatrickNovember 7, 2018

Nothing gold can stay: Division leaders depart Mountain Post
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Miles Brown, 4th Infantry Division chief of staff, and Brig. Gen. David Hodne, deputy commanding general for maneuver, along with their families, listen to remarks by Maj. Gen. Randy George, commanding general of 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson, d... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Nothing gold can stay: Division leaders depart Mountain Post
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, Maj. Gen. Randy George shakes the hand of Col. Miles Brown, 4th Infantry Division chief of staff, after awarding him the legion of merit medal while his wife, Jamie, looks on at a retre... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Nothing gold can stay: Division leaders depart Mountain Post
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, Maj. Gen. Randy George pins the legion of merit on the lapel of Brig. Gen. David Hodne, division deputy commanding general for maneuver, at a retreat and farewell ceremony May 17, 2018,... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Nothing gold can stay: Division leaders depart Mountain Post
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Miles Brown, 4th Infantry Division chief of staff, addresses the division staff and families at a retreat and farewell ceremony May 17, 2018, Fort Carson, Colo. Brown, who is bound for the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, said, "I alway... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Nothing gold can stay: Division leaders depart Mountain Post
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – General officers' flags blow in the wind during the retreat and farewell ceremony for Brig. Gen. David Hodne, the division deputy commanding general for maneuver, and Col. Miles Brown, the division chief of staff, May 17, 2018, Fort Carson, Colo. "Ev... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Nothing gold can stay: Division leaders depart Mountain Post
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. David Hodne, 4th Infantry Division deputy commanding general for maneuver, addresses the division staff and families at a retreat and farewell ceremony May 17, 2018, Fort Carson, Colo. Hodne, who is bound for the U.S. Army Infantry School ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CARSON, Colo. - On a balmy, yet sunny afternoon, the 4th Infantry Division bid farewell to its deputy commanding general of maneuver and its chief of staff in a ceremony at Founders Field May 17, 2018.

Brig. Gen. David Hodne is departing Fort Carson to assume the role of commandant of the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Col. Miles Brown departs to assume the role of deputy commander of at 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

"One of the joys of my military career has been to be able to greet people I've been able to serve alongside and get to know, and Miles Brown and Dave Hodne are at the top of my great people list," said Maj. Gen. Randy George, commanding general of 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson. "Everyone who has spent just a minute with them knows that they are both incredible Army leaders. The success of our team, the success of our Soldiers, and the welfare of our Army Families have been their priorities every single day they've been assigned to 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson."

Hodne, who has been assigned to the Ivy Division for a year, began his time here leading the mission command element in Europe.

"In allowing me to briefly reflect on our most recent tour at Fort Carson, I would simply offer two sentiments - I am incredibly proud, and I am deeply appreciative," Hodne said. "I am incredibly proud to have joined the division's effort in support of Atlantic Resolve in Eastern Europe. This division literally filled and stood in the gap in the wake of Russian aggression in the Ukraine and in the three years that followed played a critical strategic role in assuring NATO allies, deterring Russian aggression, and rebuilding Army readiness in Europe."

George said, "Miles has played a part in every success this division has enjoyed over the last two years, and he's also helped fix every issue or problem we encountered at the division level. I can't count the number of times I've said, 'Check that with the chief first,' or, 'What does the chief think,' or, 'Is this chief tracking that,' and those statements were usually followed by, 'I need to discuss that with the chief.'"

Brown was described as a quiet professional who "fixed things at his level with no fanfare."

The chief of staff waxed poet in his remarks, reciting Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay."

"The gold in the poem represents the very best of our lives," Brown said. "There is no better metaphor for my and my family's experience in the 4th Infantry Division."

"I always wanted to be an 'Ivy Soldier,'" Brown added. "It has been a highlight for us to have been a part of the 4th Infantry Division. We will always look back on our time here as pure gold."