FORT CAMPBELL, Ky- departing commander of Fort Campbell, where a gay private was bludgeoned to death by another soldier last July, said yesterday there hasn’t been a climate of homophobia during his nearly 2 1/2 years in charge of the Army base.

Maj. Gen. Robert T. Clark also denied he had tolerated anti-gay harassment among his soldiers or had done little to prevent it.

In a letter made public Thursday, 30 members of Congress urged Defense Secretary William Cohen to take action against Clark, who is being reassigned to the Pentagon.

“I object to being characterized the way I have been characterized by people who don’t have a clue as to who I am as a human being or who I am as a commander,” Clark said.

The lawmakers said in there letter that Clark “is responsible for tolerating anti-gay harassment on the post” prior to the murder of Pfc. Barry Winchell “ and for doing little in the wake of the murder to stop this type of harassment.”

“That’s an absolutely false statement,” Clark said at a news conference prior to a change-of-command ceremony at the post.

“My style as a commander is well known throughout the Army,” he said. “There are thousands of people in the United States Army who know me and know what I am like as a leader.”

Winchell was beaten to death with a baseball bat by a fellow soldier after his homosexuality became known.

Clark, the post’s commander since Feb. 6, 1998, said Fort Campbell has gone further to educate soldiers on the Department of Defense policy on homosexual conduct than either the department or the Army mandates.

“When anything, any crisis occurs on this post, the leadership of the soldiers of this post swarm to the crisis,” Clark said. “Such was the case of the Winchell mur-der.”

The Army announced earlier this week that Clark is being reassigned to the post of vice director for operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an important job in the Pentagon.