NOVATO, Calif. — A new exhibit was unveiled Saturday at the Hamilton Field History Museum, featuring the Coast Guard’s Novato-based Pacific Strike Team, as well as the many Coast Guard families who have resided at Hamilton Field.
“Honoring Hamilton History” was the brainchild of Megan Gimple, the 17-year-old daughter of the Coast Guard 11th District Chief of Staff, Capt. Matt Gimple.
Megan, a junior at Novato High School, dedicated more than 100 hours of work creating, developing and assembling the exhibit, which includes photographs, unit patches and uniforms of the Pacific Strike Team, as well as memorabilia from Coast Guard families.
Megan also produced a video presentation and a children’s activity book. The exhibit was part of Megan’s Girl Scouts Gold Award project. Equivalent to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout award, the Gold Award represents the Girl Scouts’ highest honor. Currently, only five-to-six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award each year.
Megan said that she came up with the idea of the exhibit when she moved into Coast Guard housing at Hamilton with her parents in the summer of 2015. Many of her new friends and classmates had questions about Hamilton, which prompted her to learn more about her community.
“That got me thinking about my Gold Award project - I liked history and museums and doing Junior Ranger programs at the National Parks,” said Megan. “The community was interested in learning about the Coast Guard and the museum wanted an exhibit about us, so I started researching the military/civilian connections in the area. I have been a Coast Guard kid all my life so I know about [those connections] and so my project idea was born.”