Unofficial 1st Infantry Division Magazine of Soldiers and Families | www.riley.army.mil | facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision

Families, communities, 

recognize the sacrifices 

and efforts of Soldiers 

today and those in past 
 Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans 

|1

Duty First!

The Duty First is an unofficial publication pro-

duced under the provisions of AR 360-1, pub-

lished by Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division. 

Editorial views and opinions expressed are not 

necessarily those of the Department of Defense, 

the Army or the 1st Infantry Division. All photos 

are Army photos unless otherwise noted. Story 

and photos submissions are welcome and should 

be sent to: 

1st Infantry Division

Public Affairs Office 

ATTN: Editor 

Bldg. 580

RM 313

Fort Riley, KS 66442 

Telephone number

COM 785-239-4696 

 DSN 856-6821 

or visit Duty First online at www.riley.army.mil.

1st Infantry Division Commander

Maj. Gen. William Mayville

1st Infantry Division CSM

Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Sasser

1st Infantry Division PAO

Lt. Col. Sophie Gainey

Editor

Stephanie Hoff

Staff Writer

Mollie Miller

Illustrator

Justin Angeles

stephanie hoff, duty first! magazine

No Mission too Difficult. No Sacrifice too Great.

Saluting Our Veterans | www.riley.army.mil

COVER: A student from Northview Ele-

mentary School displays a poster hon-

oring Soldiers during the Veterans Day 

Parade in Manhattan, Kan., on Nov. 

11. The day’s festivities marked Man-

hattan and Riley County’s 19th year 

celebrating Veterans Day.

C ONTENTS

Departments

Features

PICTORIAL

Remembering the efforts, 

sacrifices of our veterans Unit Movements

2nd HBCT uncases colors 

after yearlong tour in Iraq

Engineering a gathering 

‘Diehards’ from different eras 

gather, share common stories 

Wounded warrior stays strong 

Sacrifices for Family, country 

do not go unnoticed 

‘Lucky’ vet still contributing 

Vietnam veteran continues to 

stay involved with division

Veterans Parade hits L’il Apple

Soldiers, Manhattan residents 

congregate for festivities ‘Proud Americans’ unite

Veterans’ organization lets 

Soldiers remain connected

14

16–21

82

10

12

TEAMWORK is the foundation of the Big Red One. I shall

never fail my team, for I maintain the standard. My conduct and 

self-discipline set the example for others to follow.

HONOR is what I stand for–an American Soldier on duty

for my country. My loyalty is intense. I display care for

my fellow Soldiers and my chain of command through courage, 

respect, integrity and compassion.

I have learned to ENDURE

, to thrive in adversity. 

The harsh reality of combat gives me the enthusiasm for

realistic training. I am physically and mentally strong to

meet the demanding situations my unit encounters.

We are one in the Big Red One. Our BROTHERHOOD

gives us strength to fight on to any objective and accomplish the 

mission as our veterans have done before us. I live the legacy of my division.

READINESS is my priority. To be ready for any mission,

anytime, anywhere. My business is first-class training and living high 

standards of care and equipment, weaponry and tactical and 

technical competence.

My ORGANIZATION is my strength. The BRO is bigger 

than any one individual. It gives me purpose, self-confidence, 

competitive spirit, intestinal fortitude and the desire to fight 

with all my heart.
2| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |3

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

First Infantry Division veteran Jim Lund serves a Big Red One Soldier stew during a recent USO dinner at Fort Riley, Kan. Lund, along with other veterans from the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 317, volunteer 

at the bimonthly USO No Dough Dinners. 

The Lucky

1st Infantry Division veteran still 

contributing to BRO Family

Story by Mollie Miller ▪ Duty First! Magazine

Standing behind the serving line during a recent 

USO event on Fort Riley, 1st 

Infantry Division veteran Jim 

Lund prepared to dish up 

dinner to hundreds of Big 

Red One Soldiers and Family 

members. 

Although the main course 

featured on the menu that 

night was stew, Lund already 

decided he was going to serve 

up a whole lot more than 

bowls full of broth, potatoes 

and beef. That night, the Vietnam veteran who walked the 

jungles of Lai Khe and the 

streets of Saigon as a military 

policeman offered his BRO 

Family not just nourishment 

for their bodies but for their 

hearts and minds.

(continued on page 4)

I feel like I was one of the lucky ones who made it 

home, so I need to represent the guys who didn’t.” 

—Jim Lund 

1st Infantry Division veteran 
4| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |5

(continued from page 3)

During the two-hour meal, Lund gave 

the division’s Soldiers, spouses and 

children a kind smile, an easy laugh, a 

listening ear and insights gathered during the 18 months he spent in combat 

and the 41 years he spent trying to forget those days.

“I have become a very good listener,” Lund said. “This is a different war, 

a different generation, but war is 

war.” 

Lund joined the Army in 1967 because, he said, he was going nowhere 

fast at Wichita State University and he 

didn’t want to wait to get drafted. Joining the Army in 1967 meant Lund 

could pick his military occupational 

specialty, MP, and his first duty assignment, Germany. 

Shortly after arriving in Germany, 

however, Lund and a friend realized 

the place they really needed to be was 

Vietnam. 

“We decided that if we were going 

to be in the military, we wanted to be 

where we could do the most for our 

country,” he said. “For us, that meant 

Vietnam.” 

Lund asked his company commander to go to Vietnam, a request that was 

promptly denied. Undeterred, Lund 

sent a letter to the Pentagon requesting 

orders to Vietnam. Once again, his request was denied. Lund would not take 

no for an answer though and wrote to 

congressman Bob Dole. Three weeks 

later, orders for Vietnam were in his 

hand. 

“Our first sergeant told us ‘you guys 

have no idea what you are getting into,’ 

and we really didn’t,” Lund said. 

Lund arrived in Vietnam in early 

1968 on the heels of the Tet Offensive 

and at the beginning of the deadliest 

year of the war for U.S. forces. 

“We had to come in ‘hot’ because the 

base was under fire,” he said. “Reality 

really started setting in.” 

In Vietnam, Lund and his fellow 

MPs ran convoys and checkpoints and 

manned all the entries into the base 

camps. Within just a few days of being 

“in country,” Lund learned as long as 

he could survive the first minute of an 

enemy ambush, he would survive the 

whole attack. 

“They would hit and run,” he said. 

 Lund said his team in Vietnam dealt 

with a lot of the same issues today’s 

Soldiers are dealing with in Afghanistan and Iraq. Improvised explosive devices, which Lund just called bombs 

back then, were common and did a lot 

of damage. 

“They (Viet Cong) were great at disguising the bombs and putting all kinds 

of shrapnel in them so they would do 

the most damage,” he said. “They 

would put the bombs in the trees or on 

the side of the roads so that if you pursued them after an ambush, you would 

walk right into them.” 

Lund lost many friends and fellow 

unit members during his time as 1st Inf. 

Div. MP and later as an undercover 

agent for the Criminal Investigation Division. One death that still haunts him 

is when a fellow MP on guard duty was 

killed just 20 minutes after being introduced to Lund.

“That’s when you start thinking that 

it could have been you,” he said. “If 

anybody ever tells you they weren’t 

scared when they were there, they are 

lying. You were scared pretty much every minute you were there.” 

Lund did a 12 month tour of Vietnam, returned to the states for 30 days 

and went back to Vietnam for six 

months. At the end of the six months, 

he flew home to Kansas and to the life 

he left almost three years before. 

Though accounting for a small percentage of time in the grand scheme of 

things, Lund said the years he spent in 

Vietnam were the most profound in his 

life. 

“I became a man and I found myself,” he said. “I didn’t realize it at the 

time but I grew up and started looking 

at the world different and started appreciating the little things that I had always taken for granted.” 

The years that followed Lund’s return 

from Vietnam were full of many things. 

The young man from Kansas City went 

back to college and traveled the nation 

running restaurants. Distinctly absent 

from the years, however, was any and all 

talk of Vietnam. 

“Anytime someone brought Vietnam up, I would change the subject,” 

he said. “There are a lot of things you 

have to mentally get a grip on, which 

was tough.” 

Talk of his years at war came flooding back into Lund’s life about five 

years ago when he started volunteering 

with the Vietnam Veterans of America 

Chapter 317 in Kansas City. About three 

years after that, Lund officially retired 

and started volunteering all his time 

with the Veterans of Foreign War 

(VFW), the American Legion, the Veteran’s Affairs Hospitals in Kansas City 

and Leavenworth, and, finally, with the 

USO on Fort Riley. 

“I feel like I was one of the lucky ones 

who made it home, so I need to represent the guys who didn’t,” Lund said. 

April Blackmon, director of USO 

Fort Riley, said having veterans like 

Lund serve as part of the USO family in 

the Flint Hills is a true honor. 

“People like (Lund) show us that we 

have awesome veterans who continue 

to serve their country by taking care of 

this generation’s troops and Families,” 

she said. “They know and genuinely 

appreciate what our troops are going 

through today and we cannot thank 

them enough for their past service and 

for their continued support of our nation’s military.” 

Lund said volunteering with veteran’s service organizations is his new 

“career” and he plans to continue doing 

so until everyone understands what 

Soldiers and their Families go through. 

It is the job of every citizen to care for 

America’s fighting men and women, 

their spouses and children, he said. 

“I get more out of volunteering than 

do the people who I help,” he said. 

“My focus is our warriors and their 

Families. If there is anything to be done 

that will make their lives even just a 

little easier, that’s what I’m going to 

do. Never again will we leave a generation behind.” 

I have become a very 

good listener. This is 

a different war, a 

different generation, 

but war is war.” 

—Jim Lund 

1st Infantry Division veteran 

Courtesy photo

Former military police officer Jim Lund was stationed in Lai Kai, Vietnam, with the 1st Infantry Division in 1968. 

Courtesy photo

First Infantry Division veteran Lund spent one Christmas in Vietnam during an 18-month tour as a military 

police officer. 

Courtesy photo

As a military police officer in Vietnam, Lund and his Big Red One teammates ran checkpoints and provided security for troop convoys. 
Kyle graduated from basic training in January 2011 and was assigned to the Big Red One’s 4th 

Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. “Pale Riders.” 

The Pale Rider team was already 

busy making final preparations for 

a deployment to Afghanistan when 

Kyle arrived. The new Soldier began his own preparations for this 

upcoming mission, one that would 

have him leaving Kansas in less 

than six weeks. 

 First on Kyle’s list of deployment 

preparations was a visit to a tattoo 

shop in Manhattan, Kan.

 “I had wanted a tattoo for a long time, 

and I wanted to finally get one before we 

left,” he said. 

One evening, shortly before the deployment, Kyle and a few fellow Soldiers 

“went under the needle.” One of the Soldiers had his children’s names or birthdates tattooed, some had a lucky number 

or special picture done, but Kyle selected 

a seven word phrase that rolled around in 

his head ever since he decided he was going to be a Soldier. 

That night, the tattoo artist etched, “For 

those I love, I will sacrifice,” onto Kyle’s 

right side.

“I thought since I was in the military 

that it would be a good one to get,” he 

said. “’Those I love’ is for everyone – for 

my parents, my brother and all my family 

but it’s really for everyone in the country.” 

 Kyle left for Afghanistan at the end of 

February 2011. Less than four months 

later, during a June 15 patrol outside of 

Haji Ramuddin, the young man who never wanted to be anything other than a Soldier was forced into a better understanding of sacrifice. 

“We were in a firefight in Haji Ramuddin and I don’t know if I was trying to 

move into cover or something but I stepped 

on a pressure plate (improvised explosive 

device),” he said. “I don’t remember anything after that for a long time.” 

The blast from the pressure plate IED 

cost Kyle both legs and his left arm. It cost 

Spc. Nick Hensley his life. 

 “I received a phone call at work on 

June 15 and the caller said Kyle had 

been seriously wounded in Afghanistan and that we would get another call 

later with more information,” Chet 

said. “Every call, they kept telling us 

that they were right by his side doing 

everything they could for him. They 

were dedicated 100 percent to getting 

him home to us and we are very appreciative of what everyone did for Kyle.” 

Getting Kyle home to his family was 

no easy task. Kathy said medics “lost” her 

son several times on the battlefield and 

again in the medical evacuation helicopter. Kyle’s kidneys and liver failed and 

Army representatives prepared Chet and 

Kathy for a trip to Germany as they didn’t 

think Kyle would survive the flight 

back to the states. Kyle stabilized and 

the Army transported him to Brooke 

Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The young infantryman has been 

there ever since. 

Kathy said the recovery and rehabilitation process has been challenging, 

but her son has shown an amazing 

strength in the face of some great tests.

“I’m not surprised though,” she 

said. “Kyle has always been very 

tough.” 

If it weren’t for people like Kyle 

and his fellow Soldiers who sacrifice 

so much, the country would be in pretty 

bad shape, Chet said. 

“We are just so proud of them and all 

their service,” he said. “They are all heroes 

in our eyes.” 

Although many pieces of the future 

remain uncertain for the young man from 

Ohio, Kyle is sure of one thing – if the 

Army will have him, he wants to stay on 

active duty and do whatever he can to 

continue to help his brothers and sisters in 

uniform. 

“I want him to be happy,” Kathy said 

of her youngest son. “Whatever he chooses to do, I just want him to be happy.” 

For now, Kyle is looking forward to 

being fitted for his prosthetics and getting 

healthy enough so his doctors will clear 

him to travel to Fort Riley in April to attend the 4th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. Welcome Home Ball. 

“If everything is good, I plan to be 

there,” he said. 

As far as his mom is concerned, this is 

a goal easily within her son’s reach. 

“If there was ever something out there 

you told him he couldn’t do, he would tell 

you he could ... and then he would do it,” 

Kathy said. “Kyle wants to be at that ball 

and if he has anything to say about it, he 

will be at that ball.”

For Lt. Col. Michael Katona, commander of 4th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., having the Soldier who has served as an inspiration to so many at the ball would be 

an honor. 

“He is still part of this squadron,” he 

said. “He will always be part of our 

family.”

6| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |7

Sacrifice, Ink.

Story by Mollie Miller | Duty First! Magazine

Wounded BRO Soldier's sacrifice etched in body, resolve set in stone

LOVEcan make people do some crazy, unusual, heroic things. 

A dance outside in a rain storm, 

a midnight flight across the country, a dash into a burning home — 

none of these are outside the realm 

of what people will do for those 

they love. 

For one 1st Infantry Division Soldier, his love for his family and his 

country led him into an Army recruiter’s office, into basic training, west to 

Fort Riley, Kan., and around the world 

to Afghanistan. 

And then that love led him right to 

death’s front door.

Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy 

Brigade Combat Team, joined the 

Army in the fall of 2010 after a summer full of friends, dirt bikes and posthigh school graduation parties. Joining the Army was the realization of a 

dream for the 19-year-old from Marietta, Ohio. 

“I always wanted to serve my 

country, protect our freedom, to keep 

the life that all the ones I love live 

safe,” he said recently.

Hockenberry’s enlistment wasn’t 

much of a surprise for his parents, 

Chet and Kathy. 

“Being a Soldier was all Kyle ever 

talked about, even when he was little,” Kathy said of her youngest son. 

“I still have all his G.I. Joe guys that he 

always used to play with because he 

didn’t want me to get rid of them.” 

Courtesy photo

Pfc. Hockenberry tries on his Army Combat Uniform Dec. 9 for the first time since being injured 

June 15 outside of Haji Ramuddin, Afghanistan.

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

ABOVE: Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, 4th Sqd., 4th Cav., 1st HBCT, 1st Inf. Div., got his first and only tattoo just weeks before he deployed to 

Afghanistan. The tattoo reads, “For those I love, I will sacrifice.” The 19-year-old Soldier was injured June 15 when a pressure plate 

IED exploded near him. The blast cost Hockenberry both legs and his left arm. OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: Hockenberry’s family visits him at 

Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, including mom, Kathy, dad, Chet, and brother, Chad. 

courtesy photo
8| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |9

By Sgt. Gene A. Arnold

4th IBCT PAO

I

t was an evening of fine dining and 

swapping of war stories for past 

and present “Diehards.” 

Soldiers of the 1st Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 

1st Infantry Division ended a multipleday visit with former veterans of the 

unit with a banquet-style dinner Sept 

13 at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel 

and Geary County Convention Center, 

Junction City.

The event allowed the unit’s current 

Soldiers to visit and share with veterans who wore their unit’s patch while 

serving in conflicts such as World War 

II and Vietnam. 

“It’s history you can’t teach in 

school,” said Kim Thompson, former 

editor of the 1st Combat Engineers 

Newsletter. “The history I’ve learned, 

the stories I’ve been privy to, the conversations I’ve had with these (veterans) are a total blessing.”

For example, Thompson added, not 

many Soldiers who are currently serving in the “Big Red One” know that the 

U.S. Army’s oldest and most decorated 

engineer battalion—the 1st Eng. Bn. 

—is located within their unit. 

In May, the battalion, which was 

founded in 1846, attached its 66th campaign streamer to its guidon. The battalion is praised with valiantly serving 

in every conflict from the MexicanAmerican War to the wars in Iraq and 

Afghanistan.

By Sgt. Scott Lamberson

4th IBCT PAO

Different generations, separated 

by years and diverse wars, were 

brought together Sept. 13 by a 

single red “one” they all proudly wore 

on their shoulder. 

The 1st Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division hosted in September 

the Society of the 1st Engineer Battalion, an organization comprised of veterans who have served with the battalion through various conflicts. Although the “Diehard” battalion has 

moved numerous times and fallen under many different commands, the veterans expressed their joy that the unit 

once again falls under the “Big Red 

One.” 

“I think it’s great, last year I went to 

their reunion in Williamsburg, Penn., 

it was a life-changing event for me. 

Luckily this year they came to Fort Riley so the whole battalion is experiencing that feeling,” said Lt. Col. Kirk 

Gibbs, the battalion’s commander.

Veterans from the Gulf War, Vietnam and World War II had the unique 

opportunity to visit the post’s Engagement Skills Trainer, an electronic firing 

system that allows the shooter to experience the feel and kick of a specific 

weapon. 

The EST allowed the Veterans to become familiar with the M4 as well as a 

multitude of different weapons that 

weren’t around when they served. The 

opportunity also allowed the veterans 

to experience the new training the 

Army has implemented since their departure from its ranks.

The veterans then joined the unit’s 

Soldiers at Fort Riley’s “Range One.” 

Once there, they were geared up with 

M4’s with advanced sights, which was 

a jurassic change from the weapons 

they once carried into battle, said 

Johnny Kinder, a veteran who formally served with the battalion. 

“I think its very important to meet 

all the young Soldiers today because 

its so much different now then when 

we were in. All the Soldiers I have 

met are nice and courteous and carry 

‘DIEHARDS’... till the end

themselves in a professional manner,” Kinder said.

As the group ate lunch at the range, 

an event that brought back memories of 

the field, stories were exchanged 

amongst the current and former “Diehard” Soldiers.

“We’re always talking about the history of this battalion, it’s 165 years old, 

we tied the Soldiers serving today into 

that history and let them know they are 

a part of it. When you Veterans come to 

visit and begin sharing your stories 

with the Soldiers, they see the connection,” Gibbs said.

Kinder said the benefits of such visits were also greatly felt by the veterans 

as much as the Soldiers. 

“It drives home the point that knowing this is part of your life and part of 

your history,” Kinder said. “It’s a tremendous morale booster to be able to 

see they’re still active and see that what 

we did wasn’t for nothing.”

Sgt. Scott Lamberson, 4th IBCT PAO

LEFT: Ron Danielson, a Vietnam Veteran who served with the 1st Eng. Bn., fires an M4 from the kneeling position Sept. 13. Spc. Adam Williams, a 

combat engineer with 41st Sapper Co., 1st Eng., Bn., 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., acts as a coach as the veteran fires. RIGHT: Paul Bores, a Vietnam 

veteran who served with the 1st Eng. Bn., is given a quick class on the M4 during a live-fire range. Spc. Adam Dewayne, a combat engineer with the 

41st Sapper Co., 1st Eng. Bn., 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., explains the characteristics of the weapon. 

Engineer veterans of different conflicts gather to share similar experiences 

“I know present in this audience 

are members of America’s greatest 

generation ... I’m honored to be here 

in your presence,” said Brig. Gen. 

Paul Funk, the 1st Inf. Div.’s deputy 

commanding general for maneuver. 

“Our Army and nation are undoubtedly stronger because of the contribution of the 1st Engineers ... you 

have played a critical role in the 

building of our nation; because of this 

battalion’s valiant service we have 

the freedoms that this country treasures.”

Several of the unit’s Soldiers expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to meet the veterans. 

“I loved (visiting with the veterans) it’s the best thing that’s happened since I’ve been back (from deployment),” said Capt. Kristofer 

Johnson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Eng. Bn. 

“Meeting these veterans and talking 

to them about experiences from three 

and four different wars, (you find) 

the stories they share are a lot alike, 

very similar. The Army never changes, and if it does the funny stories 

never do.”

The evening’s special guests re-iterated their appreciation for the opportunity to meet with the unit’s current Soldiers. 

“I think it’s very important to 

meet all the young Soldiers today, 

it’s so much different from when we 

were in,” said Johnny Kinder, a veteran who served with the battalion 

in Vietnam. “It’s been a wonderful 

experience to get to meet all of you, 

all of the (Soldiers) have been so 

friendly and supportive. We’re so 

proud of you for carrying on (the 

tradition).”

Engineers cap visit with evening banquet

When you Veterans come to 

visit and begin sharing your 

stories with the Soldiers, 

they see the connection.”

—Lt. Col. Kirk Gibbs

Commander, 1st Engineer Battalion

Sgt. Gene A. Arnold, 4th IBCT, PAO

ABOVE: Pfc. Steven Staggenborg and Richard Hauri, 

a Vietnam Veteran, take a moment to share experiences from the two-day event at the 33rd Die Hard 

reunion dinner. OPPOSITE PAGE: Past and present 

Soldiers from the 1st Eng. Bn., 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., 

take a moment to add a photographic memory to the 

33rd Die Hard Reunion that culminated in a banquet 

style dining-in at the Courtyard Marriott in Junction 

City, Kan.
10| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |11

Hundreds of spectators lined 

Poyntz Avenue, waving miniature American flags Nov. 11, as 

numerous 1st Infantry Division Soldiers 

marched past in Manhattan’s annual 

Veterans Day Parade.

Marching from the Manhattan Town 

Center down Poyntz Avenue, Soldiers 

were joined by state, county, city and 

Kansas State University officials, along 

with local business owners in the parade, while flanked by cheering city and 

surrounding community residents.

“(Nov. 11) is a day that our nation 

sets aside to observe the traditions of 

this great country and remembering the 

courage displayed and the sacrifices 

made by men and women in uniform,” 

said Maj. Gen. William Mayville, 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley commanding general, during a commemorative ceremony following the parade. 

The date was first recognized as “Armistice Day” in honor of the Nov. 11, 

1926, signing of the treaty officially ending World War I. In 1953, a resident of 

Emporia, Kan., proposed Armistice Day 

be re-named “Veterans Day” in honor 

of veterans from all wars and conflicts. 

The day’s festivities marked Manhattan and Riley County’s 19th year honoring 

Veterans Day since dedicating the Armed 

Forces Memorial on Nov. 11, 1992. 

The parade also featured Soldiers 

from various “Big Red One” units 

marching with students from their partnered schools. Through the post’s 

Adopt-A-School program, a Fort Riley 

unit is paired with a local school and the 

Soldiers serve as positive role models 

for the students, as well as assist school 

staffers. 

“I think we’ve all seen that Manhattan knows how to celebrate Veterans 

Day,” said Manhattan Mayor Jim Sherow. “This was a great day to celebrate 

the accomplishments, the sacrifice and 

the service of our veterans. We had a 

great parade today, and there was a 

tremendous outpouring of the support 

our community gives to the veterans 

here.”

Mayville said since his arrival to Fort 

Riley, he’s noticed a trend of veterans 

choosing to retire in the area. There is a 

reason for that: it’s an incredible community and it’s no surprise to him that 

Soldiers and their Families would want 

to remain here, Mayville added. 

“The support from this city to Fort 

Riley and the Soldiers of the “Big Red 

One” is remarkable. Nothing short of 

extraordinary, and it is unlike any other 

relationship that I know of in the United 

States Army. It is very, very special,” he 

said. 

(Nov. 11) is a day that our nation sets aside to observe the traditions of 

this great country and remember the courage displayed and the sacrifices made by men and women in uniform.

— Maj. Gen. William Mayville

1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley commanding general 

Maj. Gen. William 

Mayville, commanding general 

of the 1st Infantry 

Division and Fort 

Riley, marches in 

front of the 

division’s colors 

Nov. 11, during 

the annual 

Manhattan 

Veterans Day 

Parade. 

A 1st Inf. Div. 

Soldier walks with a 

student of the Riley 

County School 

District on Nov. 11 

during Manhattan’s 

Veterans Day 

Parade. The day’s 

festivities marked 

Manhattan and 

Riley County’s 19th 

year honoring 

Veterans Day and 

included Soldiers 

from various “Big 

Red One” units 

marching with 

students from 

partnered schools.

A 1st Inf. Div. Soldier marches with students from Amanda Arnold Elementary School on Nov. 11.

First Inf. Div. Soldiers marched with students from the Riley 

County School District during the annual Manhattan Veterans 

Day Parade on Nov. 11.
12| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |13

Vietnam veterans’ 

organization looks 

to reunite Soldiers 

who served together

Sgt. Scott Lamberson | 4th IBCT

Many Americans show their patriotism for their country by proudly 

displaying the U.S. flag in front of their 

home, or by purchasing products produced within their country. For Vietnam 

Veteran Ralph Jones, being a ‘Proud 

American’ goes a little further. 

Jones, who served in Vietnam with the 2nd Battalion, 32nd 

Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st 

Infantry Division, traveled Sept. 1 to Fort Riley to spend a day 

with the current Soldiers of the “Proud Americans” battalion. In 

2007, Jones founded a group to memorialize the fallen Soldiers of 

battalion as well as fellow units that served at Firebase Illingsworth, Vietnam, in April 1970. The group is working to ensure all 

Soldiers who served during the campaign receive unit battle 

awards.

When established, the organization was comprised of 

roughly 40 members. They have since reached a membership 

of more than 200 strong and assisted with the creation of two 

monuments to honor their fallen comrades at Fort Sill, 

Okla.

A driving factor for him in starting the organization was reuniting Soldiers who served together. 

“Every Soldier that serves their country, should at least have 

one chance to go to a reunion,” Jones said. 

During his visit, Jones also had the opportunity to meet with 

Col. Joseph Warwo, commander of the “Dragon Brigade,” before 

traveling to the battalion’s motor pool.

As he walked around swapping war stories with current 

Soldiers of the “Proud Americans” battalion, he thanked each 

of them for their service. Before saying goodbye, Jones presented the unit with a plaque commemorating the unit’s rich 

history. 

“I think (the battalion) is better now than we were during the 

Vietnam War,” Jones said, complimenting the great strides the 

unit has accomplished since he wore the patch.

Every Soldier who serves 

their country, should at 

least have one chance to 

go to a reunion.

— Vietnam veteran Ralph Jones

Courtesy photo

Ralph Jones, a Vietnam veteran who served with 2nd Bn., 32nd FA Regt., 

presents the unit with a plaque Sept. 1 commemorating the unit’s history 

during a battle at Fire Support Base Illingsworth, Vietnam.

Courtesy photo

Soldiers of 2nd 

Bn., 32nd FA 

Regt., provide a 

tour of their 

unit's motor 

pool to veteran 

Ralph Jones, a 

former Soldier of 

the unit during 

its service in 

Vietnam. 
14| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |15

ABOVE: First Sgt. Gloria Cain, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, 

gives division veteran Paul Miller a kiss on the cheek Aug. 19 during the division’s 

93rd Annual Reunion in Buffalo, N.Y. Hundreds of current and former 1st Inf. Div. 

Soldiers and their Family members gathered for the four-day event that celebrated 

the bond of the “Big Red One” brotherhood. RIGHT: Vietnam veterans with the 2nd 

Infantry Regiment Association salute during the posting of the colors at the formal 

dinner portion of the 93rd annual 1st Infantry Division Reunion in Buffalo, N.Y. BELOW: Students from Riley County School District carry a banner supporting the Soldiers of the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., during the Manhattan Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11.

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

stephanie hoff, Duty First! M

M

agazine

ollie miller, Duty First! Magazine

stephanie hoff, Duty First! Magazine

courtesy photo

stephanie hoff, Duty First! Magazine

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

Current 2nd Infantry Regiment 

Soldiers Sgt. Brian Lake, Sgt. 

Nicholas Giggey and Sgt. 

Robert Curry, front row, pause 

for a photo with the veterans of 

the 2nd Infantry Regiment 

Association. Lake, Giggey and 

Curry were all wounded in 

Afghanistan in May and 

attended the 1st Infantry 

Division Reunion in Buffalo, 

N.Y., as guests of the 2nd 

Infantry Regiment Association. 

Veterans, Soldiers 

and Family members 

of the 1st Infantry 

Division gathered for 

the division’s 93rd 

Annual Reunion get 

ready to watch the 

Buffalo Bison take 

on the Toledo Mud 

Hens during a AAA 

baseball game Aug. 

19 at Coca Cola Field 

in Buffalo, N.Y.

The “Big Red 

One” covers 

the memorial 

stones of 

Soldiers 

fallen during 

the past year 

before the 

start of the 

Victory Park 

Ceremony 

held June 17 

at Fort Riley. 

Jordan Chapman/Duty First! Magazine

Shown above is the gravesite of 

Billy Wayne Rapp, a 1st Infantry 

Division Soldier who served as a 

military police officer with the division in Vietnam.

A veteran with 

VFW Post 

1786 displays 

his continued 

patriotism at 

the annual 

Manhattan 

Veterans Day 

Parade on 

Nov. 11.

Veterans with VFW Post 1258 and American Legion Post 

172 were just some of the Soldiers, current and past, to participate in the annual Manhattan Veterans Day Parade on 

Nov. 11.
16| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |17

Unit MOVEMENTS — 1st HBCT

By Shandi Pase

1st Inf. Div. Post

T he “Devils” have returned to Fort Riley. Soldiers with the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, marked their official return to Fort Riley with an uncasing ceremony 

Nov. 16.

The brigade headquarters, 101st Brigade Support 

Battalion and Special Troops Battalion were among 

the units uncasing their colors during the ceremony.

The units deployed in October 2010 to Iraq, where 

they served as the core of the 1st Advise and Assist 

Task Force.

The brigade worked to improve the capabilities of 

the Kirkuk Province police, 12th Iraqi Army Division 

and the 1st Pershmerga Regional Guards Brigade. 

The units also built cooperation and stability between ethnic and political factions vying for influence in the province under the Iraqi constitution, 

said Col. Michael Pappal, the brigade’s commander.

“I am in awe of what our Soldiers can achieve if 

given the chance and resources to get the mission 

done,” Pappal said. “This was a truly magnificent 

level of performance by everyone, and I am proud to 

command such Soldiers.”

Only three of the battalions’ colors within the 

“Devil” Brigade were uncased during the ceremony. 

The remaining four, representing three battalions in 

Afghanistan and a battalion in Iraq’s Kirkuk Province, followed in the months after.

The 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment returned from operations in Kirkuk where they advised security forces and worked with Iraqi army 

units.

Following the return of “Hamilton’s Own” was 

the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment.

Pappal said the “Iron Rangers” did “amazing 

work across the country of Afghanistan with the Special Forces to form, train and equip the Afghan local 

police.”

The 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment and the 

4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment returned in early 2012.

“They have been aggressively taking the fight to 

the Taliban, while building Afghan national security 

forces and infrastructure,” Pappal said. 

He added that it was great to officially be back at 

Fort Riley and he looked forward to having all of his 

brigade’s Soldiers home within the upcoming 

months. 

“It will be a great day for the ‘Devil’ Brigade to be 

once again consolidated after being spread across the 

world conducting missions in support of our national interests.”

Welcome home

‘Devil’ Brigade marks return with uncasing

Sgt. Kandi Huggins, 1st HBCT PAO

Colonel Michael Pappal, commander, Devil Brigade, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, speaks with local reporters Nov. 16, after the brigade and its respective units uncased their colors at Fort Riley, Kan. Pappal thanked his 

Soldiers for their support and efforts in completing their mission during Operation New Dawn, in Northern Iraq, and recognized the other units who are currently deployed in support of 

Operation Enduring Freedom.

Dena O’Dell, 1st Infantry Division Post

INSET: Company, battalion and brigade commanders with the 1st HBCT uncase their respective unit’s colors during a Nov. 16 

ceremony. ABOVE: Soldiers, of the 1st HBCT, 1st Inf. Div., present the American Flag along with their unit’s colors Nov. 16, during 

an uncasing ceremony celebrating the “Devil” Brigade’s return to Fort Riley following a year-long tour in Iraq.
18| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |19

Unit MOVEMENTS — 2nd HBCT

“Ladies and gentlemen, the “Dagger” Brigade is 

home,” said Col. Paul Calvert, 2nd HBCT commander. 

“Today marks the fourth time that our beloved colors 

have been uncased following a deployment to Iraq in 

support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.” 

The “Dagger” brigade was the sole U.S. brigade-sized 

element in Baghdad Province throughout its deployment 

and worked with two Iraqi security forces area commands, seven Iraqi security forces divisions and two 

Iraqi police directorates, while also helping to logistically support all U.S. forces in the province. The brigade’s work assisted 

to set the stage for a 

withdrawal of U.S. 

forces by the end of 

2011, in compliance 

with a security agreement between Iraq 

and the U.S. 

“You were the last 

ones to put the finishing touches on our 

nation's war in Iraq,” 

said Maj. Gen. William Mayville, 1st Inf. 

Div. and Fort Riley 

commanding general. 

“Yours were the last 

faces the ISF saw. You 

left the standards behind for your Iraqi counterparts to meet. It's a job well 

done—tremendous, tremendous work, and we are very 

proud of you.” 

Both Calvert and Mayville paid tribute to the work of 

the brigade’s rear detachment and Family support 

groups, which maintained the home front and whose 

sacrifices enabled deployed “Daggers” to focus on the 

mission at hand. 

The “Dagger” Brigade made a difference, Calvert 

said. That fact was the result of hard work and sacrifices 

by Families and communities around the Central Flint 

Hills Region, by the command teams with U.S. ForcesIraq and U.S. Division-Center, by the companies and 

battalions which were assigned temporarily to the unit 

and by outstanding leaders within the formation, he 

said. 

“Last but not least, we made a difference because we 

have the greatest Soldiers our nation has to offer,” he 

said. “They have been the constant in the fight―the one 

thing we can always rely upon.” 

During their deployment, the “Dagger” Soldiers 

earned more than 800 Combat Action Badges, Combat 

Infantryman and Combat Medic badges. More than 500 

Bronze Star Medals were earned, along with more than 

350 Army Commendation Medals. Forty Purple Hearts 

were awarded to Soldiers in the brigade. Nine “Dagger” 

Brigade Soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq. 

Calvert added, he is unsure what missions lie ahead 

now that the “Daggers” have returned home. 

“What we do know is that we have to be prepared,” 

he said. “We will start getting back our baseline Soldier 

skills and build confidence and expertise in our equipment, so we can move forward.”

‘Daggers’ pointed home

Uncasing colors symbolizes brigade's return

Story by Sgt. Daniel Stoutamire | 2nd HBCT PAO

HAVING COMPLETED A 

YEARLONG DEPLOYMENT AS 

ONE OF THE FINAL AMERICAN 

UNITS IN BAGHDAD, MEMBERS 

OF THE 2ND HEAVY BRIGADE 

COMBAT TEAM, 1ST INFANTRY 

DIVISION, OFFICIALLY 

ANNOUNCED THEIR 

HOMECOMING ON DEC. 6 BY 

FORMALLY UNCASING THE UNIT 

COLORS DURING A CEREMONY 

AT MARSHALL ARMY AIRFIELD. 

Sgt. Daniel Stoutamire, 2HBCT PAO

Soldiers, of the 2nd HBCT, 1st Inf. Div., present the American Flag 

along with their unit’s colors Dec. 6, during an uncasing ceremony celebrating the ‘Dagger’ Brigade’s return to Fort Riley following a yearlong tour in Iraq. 

“You were the last ones 

to put the finishing 

touches on our nation’s 

war in Iraq. ... You left 

the standards behind 

for your Iraqi counterparts to meet.”

— Maj. Gen. William Mayville, 

1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley 

commanding general Sgt. Daniel Stoutamire, 2HBCT PAO

Having completed a yearlong deployment in Iraq, Soldiers of the 2nd HBCT, 1st Inf. Div., officially announced their homecoming Dec. 6 by uncasing the unit colors during a ceremony at Marshall Army Airfield. Speaking at the ceremony were 2nd HBCT Commander Col. Paul Calvert and 

Maj. Gen. William Mayville, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding general. 
20| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Saluting Our Veterans |21

Unit MOVEMENTS — 3rd IBCT

By Stephanie Hoff

Duty First! Magazine

FORT KNOX, Ky.—Exactly one year to the day 

after saying goodbye, 

about 180 Soldiers with 

the 3rd Infantry Brigade 

Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, were reunited with their loved ones. 

The Soldiers were welcomed home Dec. 9 to 

Fort Knox during a re-deployment ceremony at the 

post’s Natcher Fitness 

Center.

“This is a great day,” 

said Brig. Gen. Paul Funk, 

1st Inf. Div. deputy commanding general for maneuver. “I am pleased to 

be here to welcome home 

these great Soldiers.” 

Exactly one year before, the brigade said farewell to the post during its 

deployment ceremony the 

previous Dec. 6. About 

3,500 Soldiers in the brigade deployed to Afghanistan for a yearlong tour 

in support of Operation 

Enduring Freedom. Their 

mission was to assist Afghan national security 

forces in protecting the 

Afghan people, neutralizing the insurgency and 

setting the conditions necessary for a successful 

transition of regional control to the Afghan government.

“These guys have done 

a great job, and all of us at 

the ‘Big Red One’ are 

proud of them,” Funk 

said. 

The brigade, which officially stood up at Fort 

Knox on Oct. 16, 2009, 

built up its troop strength 

in just more than a year 

before deploying to Afghanistan last winter. 

“(Them returning) feels 

great,” said Jamie Ortiz, 

wife of Pfc. David Ortiz, 

3rd IBCT, adding her husband would be home for 

the birth of their first children, identical twin girls 

due in early February. 

“The girls’ room is almost ready, but I waited 

to decorate (for Christmas) for him to get 

home,” she said. “I’m so 

excited to have him home 

and for all the joys the 

upcoming months have 

in store for us.” 

Stephanie Hoff, Duty First! Magazine

Soldiers of the 3rd IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., the “Duke” Brigade stand at attention during a Dec. 9 ceremony celebrating the Soldiers’ 

return to Fort Knox, Ky. The 3,500 Soldier-strong brigade deployed to Afghanistan last winter for a yearlong tour in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Exactly one year before, on the same date, the brigade said farewell to the post during its deployment 

ceremony.

Stephanie Hoff, Duty First! Magazine

TOP: Brig. Gen. Paul Funk, 1st Inf. Div. deputy commanding 

general-maneuver, salutes Soldiers from the division’s 3rd 

IBCT, during a Dec. 9 re-deployment ceremony welcoming the 

Soldiers’ return to Fort Knox, Ky. ABOVE: A Soldier of the 3rd 

IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., is greeted upon his return from Afghanistan, 

Dec. 9 at Fort Knox, Ky.

Fort Knox welcomes home Big Red One’s ‘Duke’ Brigade

This is a great day. I am pleased 

to be here to welcome home 

these great Soldiers.”

—Brig. Gen. Paul Funk

1st Inf. Div. deputy commanding general for maneuver
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