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

No challenge too great 

as 1st ID trains for 

duties home & abroad 

 1ID activates UAS company

 Tour the First Couple’s home
 Duty First! Comings and Goings 

|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 311

Fort Riley, KS 66442 

Telephone number

COM 785-239-4696 

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

Maj. Joey Sullinger

Editor

Stephanie Hoff

Staff Writer

Mollie Miller

Staff Photographer

Amanda Kim Stairrett

Illustrator

Justin Angeles

Mollie miller, duty first! magazine

No Mission too Difficult. No Sacrifice too Great.

Comings, Goings, Training | www.riley.army.mil

COVER: Sgt. 1st Class Juan Torres gets a 

last-minute hug from his son, Daniel, 21 

months, during predeployment activities 

April 10. Torres was one of more than 70 

Soldiers from the Division Headquarters 

and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Infantry 

Division, who departed Fort Riley on April 10 

for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. 

C ONTENTS

Departments Features ‘Dagger’ sharp

‘Pride of Infantry’ 

excels at EIB training

Pictorial

Relive DHHB's 

deployment to Afghanistann 

Sustainment opens doors

NCO feels right at home 

in new position at 1st SB 

Home sweet home

Take a photographic tour of 

First Couple’s Fort Riley home Shade of gray

Big Red One launches 

new UAS company

Test positive

CAB Soldiers at heart of 

Apache, Gray Eagle testing

Brigade gets new toys

New Bradleys, Abrams tanks 

make way to 2nd HBCT

DHHB assumes command 

700 1st ID Soldiers take 

charge in Eastern Afghanistan 

Moving up in the world

Army Aviation branch selects 

1st CAB CSM for top spot 

18

68

24

22

24

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.riley.army.mil Duty First! Comings and Goings |3

When the weeklong set of tests began 

March 26, more than 280 Soldiers stood ready 

to be challenged in everything from first aid to 

map reading to movement under fire. When 

testing ended March 30, just 94 remained to 

receive their EIB.

About 33 percent of the Dagger Brigade 

Soldiers who started the testing earned the 

right to wear the bright blue EIB. Armywide, 

the percentage of Soldiers who earn the badge 

during testing averages only about 10 percent. 

“For the Soldier who ... gets their EIB, it is 

a great accomplishment,” said Lt. Col. John 

Cross, commander, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd HBCT. “(The EIB) is the 

mark of a professional Soldier and a professional infantryman.” 

Established in 1943, the EIB is an Army 

badge that indicates the wearer has mastered 

the individual skills an infantryman must possess to survive in a battlefield environment. 

First Sgt. Gary Stout, noncommissioned officer in charge of the traffic control point lane, 

said the skills Soldiers are required to possess 

in order to pass the testing lanes are the same 

skills they must possess to succeed in combat.

“These tests are designed to really challenge the Soldiers so that at the end, if they do 

get awarded the badge, there is a huge sense 

of accomplishment,” he said. “Not everyone 

is going to be an expert in the infantry field 

and get their EIB.” 

Cross, who earned his EIB in 1995, said the 

badge is certainly “not a given.” One Soldier 

who participated in the testing who wasn’t 

certain if he would ever possess the EIB was 

Sgt. Kevin Erickson. Erickson, who said he 

“failed miserably” during his first round of 

testing eight years ago, said he was more prepared mentally and physically for the very 

demanding week and was happy to finally 

pin the badge to his uniform. 

“I’m glad I didn’t have to wait for a third 

time,” he said. 

Soldiers with the 2nd Heavy Brigade 

Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division 

showed the world why their division is 

the “pride of the Infantry” March 26 to 

30 during the “Dagger” Brigade’s Expert Infantryman Badge testing.

ABOVE: A 2nd HBCT Soldier clears the area around him before firing his AT4 on March 29 during the “Dagger” Brigade’s Expert Infantryman Badge 

testing. More than 280 “Dagger” Brigade Soldiers participated in the weeklong set of tests that challenged the Soldiers to showcase their knowledge of everything from map reading to movement under fire. At the end of the testing, 94 Soldiers earned the EIB. BOTTOM: Col. Paul Calvert, then 

commander, 2nd HBCT, presents one of his “Dagger” Brigade Soldiers the Expert Infantryman Badge on March 30.

‘Dagger’ Brigade Soldiers showcase skills during EIB testing

STORY & PHOTOS BY MOLLIE MILLER 

DUTY FIRST! MAGAZINE

Soldiers with the 2nd HBCT reset the traffic control point lane during 

the brigade’s Expert Infantryman Badge testing March 26. 

Spc. Cole Marr reviews an operational order March 29 during the 

fourth day of the 2nd HBCT’s Expert Infantryman Badge testing. 

For the Soldier who ... gets their EIB, it is a great accomplishment. (The EIB) 

is the mark of a professional Soldier and a professional infantryman.”

—Lt. Col. John Cross, commander, 

1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd HBCT
4| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Comings and Goings |5

About 200 M1A2 SEP V2 Abrams 

Tanks and M2A3 Bradley Fighting 

Vehicles were delivered to the Soldiers with the 2nd Heavy Brigade 

Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, 

earlier this month. The new equipment features the Army’s latest round 

of updates that allow operators better 

situational awareness and superior 

optics over previous versions. 

“The greatest thing about the new 

vehicles is that the entire brigade will 

have the newest equipment the Army 

has to offer,” said Lt. Col. John Cross, 

commander, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd 

HBCT. “With our new fleet, the ‘Dagger’ Brigade will be equipped to be 

the most lethal maneuver brigade in 

the U.S. Army.” 

Originally designed to transport 

infantry troops while providing cover 

fire to suppress the enemy, the Bradley has evolved to provide infantry 

squads better situational awareness 

via a new video monitor in the troop 

carrying compartment. Additionally, 

an improved independent thermal 

viewer has increased the capability of 

the Bradley crews. 

Like the upgrades to the Bradley, 

the new features on the Abrams include a variety of changes that increase the lethality and protective capabilities of the tank. Lt. Col. Michael 

Henderson, commander, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor 

Regiment, said the upgrades on the 

new Abrams make the M1A2 SEP V2 

the most impressive tank he has ever 

seen. 

“The M1A2 SEP V2 allows us to 

identify and destroy enemy targets in 

excess of 4,000 meters,” he said. “The 

new (Common Remotely Operated 

Weapons Station) allows the tank commander to engage targets with a stabilized system without exposing himself 

to enemy fire—a huge improvement 

over previous versions, where the tank 

commander had to fire from outside 

the commander’s hatch.” 

Although Henderson praised all 

the Abrams upgrades, there was one 

update he was particularly excited 

about—the fire control system. 

“The optics (system) has finally 

caught up with the ammunition,” he 

said. “The ammunition has always 

been able to kill at extended ranges, 

but the previous optics did not allow 

us, in some cases, to positively identify targets beyond 3,000 meters.”

Crews with the 1st Bn., 63rd Armor Regt., and the 1st Bn., 18th Inf. 

Regt., will begin new equipment 

training later this month and continue 

with training focused on an early 2013 

rotation to the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif. Cross said his 

team is excited about the upcoming 

new equipment training and is looking forward to getting to learn more 

about their new vehicles. 

“The addition of these systems to 

the ‘Vanguard’ nation and the ‘Dragon’ Battalion will make the Dagger 

Brigade the most lethal brigade in our 

Army,” he said. 

More M1A2 SEP V2 Abrams Tanks 

and M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles 

are scheduled to arrive at Fort Riley 

later this year to update the 1st Heavy 

Brigade Combat Team’s fleet. 

Several dozen of the Army’s newest M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles travel Fort Riley roads on their way to 2nd HBCT motor pools April 10. The 

Bradley Fighting Vehicles arrived at Fort Riley on April 9 via railcar from Fort Hood, Texas. The new Bradleys provide infantry squads better situational awareness via a new video monitor in the troop carrying compartment. Additionally, an improved independent thermal viewer has increased 

the capability of the Bradley crews. Soldiers with the 1st Bn., 63rd Armor Regt., and 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., will begin training on them later this 

month. More M2A3 Bradleys are scheduled to arrive at Fort Riley later this year to update the 1st HBCT’s fleet. 

‘Dagger’ Brigade updates vehicle fleet 

Abrams tanks wait to be 

unloaded from flatbed 

train cars March 28 at Fort 

Riley’s railhead. The M1A2 

SEP V2 tanks arrived at 

Fort Riley on March 27 and 

were delivered to the 

Soldiers with the 2nd HBCT 

on April 2. The new tanks 

are “refurbished zeromile/zero-hour tanks” that 

contain system enhancements, including a new 

cooling system and fully 

digital operations. Tank 

crews with the 1st Bn., 

63rd Armor Regt., and the 

1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., 

will begin training on them 

later this spring. More 

M1A2 SEP V2s are 

scheduled to arrive at Fort 

Riley later this year to 

update the 1st HBCT’s 

tank fleet. 

The Army’s newest versions of two vehicles that have kept America’s fighting men and women safe for more than a quarter of a century have arrived in the Central Flint Hills Region. 
6| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Comings and Goings |7

By Mollie Miller | Duty First! Magazine

T wo aviation platforms that have 

the potential to revolutionize the 

way the Army will address future global threats are flying high above 

the deserts of California this month 

thanks to the skills of more than 100 1st 

Infantry Division Soldiers. 

Pilots and ground Soldiers from the 

division’s Company C, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation 

Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 

are putting the capabilities of the new 

Apache Block III helicopter to the test in 

the skies above the National Training 

Center as part of the aircraft’s Initial Operations Testing and Experimentation. 

Meanwhile, Soldiers from the battalion’s Company F are busy training at 

Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to do the 

same sort of testing on the Gray Eagle 

Unmanned Aerial System later this 

year. 

 “Our battalion is the only battalion in 

the Army going through this process for 

two Major Defense Acquisition Programs,” said Lt. Col. Ed Vedder, commander of 1-1 ARB. “The ‘Gunfighter’ 

team is doing the flying the entire time.” 

Vedder said that, in light of today’s 

increasingly fiscally restrained environment, Defense Department officials 

want to ensure they are getting exactly 

what they want from these two expensive systems and are counting on the 

Soldiers of the Big Red One to provide 

them the data they need to move forward in the acquisition process. 

“The goals of these tests are to ensure that the aircraft meet all of the 

key performance parameters and capability requirements that the Army 

determined for the program,” the 

“Gunfighter” commander said. “Once 

the tests are complete, the results will 

be briefed to Army leadership and 

Department of Defense acquisition 

executives who will determine whether to go forward with a full rate production build for the (systems).” 

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ronald Porter, the Gunfighter’s senior warrant officer, said he and his fellow pilots will 

be flying a variety of missions during 

the testing of the Block III and average 

about 12 flight hours per week for the 

duration of the test. 

“From deep attack and close combat 

attacks to unconventional mission sets, 

the testing is forcing us to find new 

ways to utilize the increased capabilities of the Block III,” he said. 

Porter said that initial testing has revealed to the Block III pilots an aircraft 

that is able to get to the fight quicker with 

more payload and provides the warfighter with better situational awareness.

“This is what every gun pilot has 

needed for years to increase the support 

to our ground brethren and win our nation’s wars,” he said. 

Capt. Adam Marr, commander of 

Company C, 1-1 ARB, said his team is 

honored to be a part of the testing of the 

Block IIIs. 

“What Charlie Company is part of , 

what the Gunfighters are part of, is validating this awesome new aircraft to 

not only fight the current war but to ensure that we are prepared to meet all 

future battlefield challenges,” he said. 

Apache Block III testing will continue through mid-April and Gray Eagle 

UAS testing will commence later this 

year and continue into the fall. 

CAB Soldiers take center stage for Apache, Gray Eagle tests

Spc. Thomas Davis, CAB Public Affairs

OPPOSITE PAGE: A crewchief with 1-1 ARB prepares to launch a Apache Block III helicopter during a training mission in California. More than 100 

Soldiers from 1-1 ARB are calling California home for the next several weeks as they assist with the new aircraft’s Initial Operations Testing and 

Experimentation. COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: Pilots and crewchiefs from 1-1 ARB prepare for a day of training and testing on the 

Apache Block III; a crewchief with 1-1 ARB prepares to launch a Apache Block III helicopter during a training mission in California; a Gray Eagle 

Unmanned Aerial System sits on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Soldiers from Co. F, 1-1 ARB, will begin the UAS’s Initial Operations 

Testing and Experimentation later this year.
8

| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Comings and Goings |9

Acompany of 1st Infantry Division Soldiers respon

-

sible for operating and maintaining an unmanned 

aerial system considered a “game-changer” downrange 

was officially activated April 12 at Fort Riley. 

The guideon for Company F, 1st Attack Reconnais-

sance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Avia-

tion Brigade, was unfurled during a ceremony at Mar-

shall Army Airfield. The Soldiers assigned to the new 

“Fenix” Company are the division’s subject matter ex-

perts for one of the Army’s newest UAS assets – the 

Gray Eagle. 

“This is a major 

milestone in the 

modernization of 

the 1st CAB,” Bri-

gade Commander 

Col. Mike Morgan 

said. “The Gray 

Eagle is truly a for-

midable capability 

that we are fortu-

nate to be able to 

put in place at the 

Big Red One.” 

The Gray Eagle 

is a medium-alti-

tude long-endur-

ance system de-

signed to perform 

better at higher al-

titudes, sees better 

and listens better 

than its predeces-

sors. New targeting systems and a new engine also al-

low the aircraft to fly longer and higher and carry more 

weight than many of the Army’s previous unmanned 

systems. 

During his remarks at the activation ceremony, Mor-

gan celebrated the Gray Eagle’s capabilities and noted 

that the system is a key part of the Army’s modern fullspectrum combat aviation brigade.

“Our missions of today and tomorrow require over-

head platforms that provide new, real-time intelligence, 

surveillance, security and targeting,” Morgan said. 

“Gray Eagle is a state-of-the-art platform that allows 

ground forces to move further faster and provides a pic-

ture for the commanders so they can make more in-

formed decisions for maneuver and security.” 

Fenix Company is home to more than 120 Soldiers 

who represent more than 20 military occupational spe-

cialties. Considered “self-sustaining,” the company can 

“pack up, deploy, unpack, launch, get the mission done 

and move again if necessary all the while fueling them-

selves, launching themselves, feeding themselves and 

taking care of the ground force.” 

“We have the 

best Soldiers our 

Army can offer,” 

Fenix Company1st 

Sgt. Leon Black 

said. “Gray Eagle 

operators are the 

best of the UAS 

operators so we 

have the best guys 

and girls in the for-

mation.” 

 Now that the 

company is estab-

lished at Fort Riley, 

the division’s Gray 

Eagle Team will 

soon travel west to 

conduct the Initial 

Operational Test 

and Evaluation on 

the system. The 

upcoming tests are the next step in the process to get the 

Gray Eagle fully integrated into the Army’s aviation 

brigade formations. 

“We are going to field it, test it, be successful in doing 

both and take the Gray Eagles down range,” Black said. 

Morgan is confident the Gray Eagle UAS is the right 

platform to help the Army Aviation community con-

tinue to keep U.S. Soldiers safe and informed wherever 

their missions may take them in the future. 

“America’s sons and daughters deserve nothing 

less” than this great piece of equipment, he said. 

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeffrey Stokes, left, and 1st Sgt. Leon Black unfurl the unit 

flag for the 1st Infantry Division’s Company F. Company F is the Army’s newest un-

manned aerial system company and the Soldiers assigned to “Fenix” Company will 

be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Gray Eagle unmanned 

aerial system; a division level asset that provides reconnaissance, surveillance, and 

target acquisition support to both ground and strategic commanders. 

Story & photos by Mollie Miller | Duty First! Magazine

Spc. Robert Patterson holds the guidon of the 1st Infantry Divi-

sion’s newest company, Company F, 1st Attack Reconnaissance 

Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade dur-

ing a ceremony April 12 at Marshall Army Airfield on Fort Riley. 

GOINGGRAY

~1st Infantry Division activates new UAS company ~
F ROM A SPOT ON THE BACK WALL OF THE MAIN DINING 

ROOM AT FORT RILEY’S QUARTERS ONE, WORLD WAR I 

ITALIAN FOOT SOLDIER CARLO AND HIS WIFE FRANCESCA 

GAZE STOICALLY UPON THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE 1ST INFANTRY DIVI-

SION’S FIRST FAMILY. ENCASED IN ANTIQUE WOODEN FRAMES, THE YOUNG 

COUPLE OBSERVES WITH COOL EYES THE OFFICIAL FUNCTIONS, PARTIES, FAMILY 

GATHERINGS AND COMMUNITY MEETINGS THAT, FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS, HAVE 

HELPED DEFINE THE LIVES OF THE FIRST FAMILIES OF FORT RILEY. (next page )

10| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Comings and Goings 

|11

Quarters One offers snapshot 

of division, Fort Riley past

Story by Mollie Miller & Photos by Amanda Kim Stairrett, 

Duty First! Magazine

OPPOSITE PAGE: Shand Mayville, the 1st Infantry Division’s first lady, compares photos taken over the years of her Fort Riley home, the historic 

Quarters One, on Feb. 7. 
12| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Comings and Goings |13

(continued from page 11)

For 123 years, the Quarters One 

walls on which the portraits of Carlo 

and Francesca now hang have absorbed the stories of all of Fort Riley’s 

commanding officers and their families. The 18-inch thick limestone walls 

that make up the exterior of the home 

were completed in 1888 for a price of 

$9,474.51. The 9,137 square foot home 

was built with entertaining in mind 

and features seven bathrooms, five 

fireplaces, a large dining room and 

sizeable reception area.

Dozens of Army families have called 

Quarters One home since Col. James 

Forsyth arrived in the late 1880s. As the 

families rotated in and out of the house, 

each left a piece of their story within the 

structure. Whether a gate installed to 

keep a general’s toddler grandchildren 

from falling down the stairs or a chess 

piece embedded in the hardwood floor, 

Quarters One reveals the story of a very 

diverse Army family. 

Tales of previous occupants and several unique discoveries recently led the 

house’s current occupant and 1st Infantry Division first Lady Shand Mayville 

to invite Fort Riley’s historic architect 

Ed Hooker for a visit. 

“I’m a huge history buff and so intrigued with the people who used to 

live here and the way Quarters One 

used to look,” Mayville said. 

During a Feb. 7 tour, Hooker explained that Quarters One has remained “relatively unchanged” since 

it was built although a few renovations have been made to accommodate “modern living.” Air conditioning was added in 1939; a butler’s pantry, including a pass through window 

into the dining room, was removed to 

create a larger kitchen; a wall that 

used to separate the main floor living 

area from a small library was removed 

to create a larger living space; and the 

wood burning fireplaces were replaced with gas fireplace inserts in the 

1930s. Changes to the Quarters One 

exterior include the addition of two 

screened sleeping porches is 1923 and 

a garage in 1935 and the removal of 

the home’s original wooden 

porch in the 1950s. 

Hooker pointed out several 

interesting aspects of the home 

including the original brass 

hardware on the doors, the 

pocket doors found throughout the main floor and the 

main staircase banister that is 

painted white on the bottom 

to mimic marble. Fort Riley’s 

cultural historian also spent 

much of the tour answering 

Mayville’s questions and putting to rest old wives tales 

about the house—like that the 

attic was once a ballroom.

“The attic was never a ballroom,” Hooker said. “It was 

originally designed to be servants’ quarters and two of the 

house’s four servants lived up 

there.” 

(story on page 14)

Quarters One, the home of the 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding general, is located at the top of the post’s Forsyth Avenue on Main Post.

I’m a huge history buff and so intrigued with the people who 

used to live here and the way Quarters One used to look.”

— Shand Mayville,

1st Infantry Division first lady

Shand Mayville reviews historic photos of Quarters One with Fort Riley’s Cultural Historian Ed 

Hooker during a visit Feb. 7. Completed in 1888, Quarters One has been home to all of Fort Riley’s 

commanding officers.
LEFT: Shand Mayville listens to Ed Hooker 

describe aspects of her home, Quarters 

One, on Feb. 7. Quarters One has served 

as the residence of Fort Riley’s top 

commanders for more than 100 years. The 

current occupants are Mayville and her 

husband, Maj. Gen. William Mayville, 

commander of the 1st Infantry Division. 

He is currently deployed to Afghanistan as 

head of the division-led Regional Command-East. 

14| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Comings and Goings |15

(continues from page 13)

The attic revelation came 

as somewhat of a surprise to 

Mayville who had shared the 

story of the ballroom with 

many visitors and had even 

adopted a dance themed decor in the room as a nod to 

the history of the space. 

“I always thought it didn’t 

seem right that ladies in big 

old fashioned dresses would 

climb all the way to the attic,” 

she said with a laugh. 

Hooker also offered Mayville a new story about the 

home to share with future 

guests. The historian explained that the plans used in 

the construction of Quarters 

One and in several of the 

homes located throughout 

Historic Main Post became 

“stock plans” for the rest of 

the Army. The stock plans 

were then used to construct 

similar homes on installations throughout the country. 

“It is interesting to go to 

installations like Fort Leavenworth or Fort Bragg where 

the houses are the same except they are rendered in different materials,” Hooker 

said.

Mayville has begun offering an inside look into the 

home of the Big Red One’s 

first family via a new Facebook page aptly named Quarters One. Mayville uses the 

page to share entertaining, 

cooking and decorating ideas 

appropriate for the Army 

family of the 21st Century. 

The division’s first lady will 

also share Quarters One with 

a much wider audience beginning this spring when the 

new season of the television 

show Army Wives debuts 

with a set inspired in part by 

Mayville’s home and style.

“I feel like I have really 

bonded with this house,” she 

said. “This is a really great 

space.” 

Spouses new to Fort Riley 

will have the opportunity to 

explore the beauty of Quarters One for themselves and 

hear more of Mayville’s favorite stories in April during 

a newcomer’s welcome at the 

house. Now armed with a 

better understanding of the 

house’s history and a tale or 

two about the Soldiers and 

Families who once lived 

there, the division’s first lady 

is ready to offer visitors a 

window into the post’s past. 

“I feel like everything in 

this house tells a story and 

I’m excited to share the stories with the whole community,” she said. 

I feel like I have really 

bonded with this 

house. This is a really 

great space.

— Shand Mayville

ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Ed Hooker stands on the balcony Feb. 7 looking at original plans for Quarters One; the U.S. Military Academy at 

West Point uniform of Maj. Gen. William Mayville, 1st Infantry Division commander, is displayed in Quarters One, his Family’s historical Fort Riley 

residence Feb. 7; Shand Mayville follows Hooker down the stairs of Quarters One and past her family’s photos. Completed in 1888, Quarters One 

has been home to all of Fort Riley’s commanding officers for 123 years. 

ABOVE: Shand Mayville points out the different 

chandeliers that light the main floor during a 

Feb. 7 visit from Ed Hooker. RIGHT: Shand Mayville points out features of her home that have 

changed over the years Feb. 7 at Fort Riley’s historic Quarters One. The limestone house has 

been home to Fort Riley’s first families for more 

than 100 years. Hooker told Mayville details 

about the home because she likes to give visitors history of the structure when they visit. 
16| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Comings and Goings |17

Mollie Miller/Duty Firs! Magazine

Soldiers assigned to the 1st Inf. Div’s DHHB adjust their bags March 31 

to ensure they will fit in overhead compartments during a flight to Afghanistan. The Soldiers departed the Flint Hills region in the early morning hours destined for their temporary homes in eastern Afghanistan.

Mollie Miller/Duty First! Magazine

Spc. Nicolas Conway gets in a few final moments of cuddle 

time with son Kaleo, 9 months, before boarding a bus March 

31 destined for a Northeast Kansas airport and the plane 

that would take Conway and his fellow Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Infantry Division Soldiers to Afghanistan. The DHHB team is set to take over operations in Regional Command-East from the 1st Cavalry 

Division. The primary mission of the 1st Inf. Div. during the 

deployment is focused on giving Afghan forces the tools they 

need to secure their own country. 

Mollie Miller/Duty First! Magazine

Spc. Nicolas Conway steals one final kiss from his wife March 31 before saying goodbye to his family and boarding a bus destined for a 

Northeast Kansas airport.

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

A Soldier’s bear takes his spot in a formation of troops from 

DHHB, 1st Inf. Div., on April 10. The bear and his Soldier-owner 

were part of Main Body Four, the final main body flight of DHHB 

Soldiers to leave Fort Riley destined for a year in Afghanistan. 

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

Sgt. 1st Class Juan Torres gets one final kiss from his wife Elizabeth before boarding a bus to begin a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan April 10. 

LEFT TOP: A Soldier’s spouse 

gets in one last “I love you” 

as her husband’s bus pulls 

away April 10. LEFT BOTTON: 

A tiny “Big Red One” Family 

member joins more than 

200 Soldiers assigned to the 

1st Infantry Division’s 

Division Headquarters and 

Headquarters Battalion on 

March 31, as the Soldiers 

begin their deployment to 

Afghanistan with an early 

morning formation in their 

company area. Dozens of 

Family members and friends 

said goodbye to the Big Red 

One Soldiers as they 

boarded busses destined for 

a Northeast Kansas airport 

and the plane that delivered 

them to their temporary 

homes in Eastern Afghanistan. 

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine 

Sgt. Steven Green 

says goodbye to his 

wife, Alyssa, and his 

son, Aiden, 5 weeks, 

during predeployment 

activities April 10. 
18| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Comings and Goings |19

A little more than a year after being unfurled following a deployment 

to Iraq, the colors of the 1st Infantry Division were again cased March 7 during 

a ceremony at Fort Riley’s Cavalry Parade Field. 

The ceremony symbolized one of the 

unit’s final steps in preparation for its 

upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. 

The first of about 700 1st Inf. Div. staff 

members and Division Headquarters 

and Headquarters Battalion Soldiers 

slated to deploy are set to depart by the 

end of the month.

“We knew this (deployment) was 

coming, and we knew we had a certain amount of time to get ready,” 

said Maj. Gen. William Mayville, 1st 

Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding 

general. “I’m confident that our Soldiers are trained and ready to go. I’m 

confident in the organization. I think 

we got everything we need to accomplish the mission.” 

(continued on page 21)

Amanda Kim Stairrett, Duty First! Magazine

Maj. Gen. William Mayville and Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Sasser, 1st Inf. Div. command team, furl the 1st Inf. Div. headquarters’ colors during 

a casing ceremony March 7 at Fort Riley. Mayville and Sasser will lead the “Big Red One’s” headquarters and DHHB to Afghanistan, where they 

will head up Regional Command-East. 

‘Big Red One’ cases colors in Fort Riley ceremony 

By Stephanie Hoff | Duty First! Magazine Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

TOP: Soldiers with the 1st Bn., 5th FA Regt., 1st HBCT, fire their 105mm M101A1 Howitzers 

March 7 at Fort Riley. The Soldiers performed their duties as part of the salute battery at a 

colors-casing ceremony for the 1st Inf. Div. headquarters and DHHB. ABOVE: Soldiers, Family 

members and veterans with the 1st Inf. Div. render honors during the playing of the national 

anthem at the division casing ceremony March 7.

Amanda Kim Stairrett, Duty First! Magazine

I’m confident that our 

Soldiers are trained and 

ready to go. I’m confident 

in the organization. I think 

we got everything we need 

to accomplish the 

mission.”

— Maj. Gen. William Mayville,

1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding general
20| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Comings and Goings |21

Operating as Combined Joint Task Force-1, the 1st Infantry 

Division will command and control operations throughout 

RC-East, an area roughly the size of Virginia including 14 

provinces, 7.5 million Afghans and 450 km of a mountainous 

Pakistan border.

 Building on the success of their predecessors, CJTF-1 will 

continue to work hand-in-hand with the Afghan government 

and Afghan National Security Forces to bring security, development and governance to the region.

Maj. Gen. William C. Mayville, Jr., commanding general of 

the 1st Infantry Division and CJTF-1, gave a brief address during the ceremony.

 “Our mission over the next year is to maintain the momentum of this campaign, relentlessly pursuing insurgent networks, assisting Afghan efforts to assert sovereignty along the 

border, and accelerating the development of the ANSF,” said 

Mayville.

 To tackle this mission, CJTF-1 wields a joint fighting force 

of more than 32,000 coalition troops. Their arsenal includes 

five U.S. brigade combat teams, as well as troops from nine 

NATO countries.

 Perhaps the division’s most important joint-endeavour, 

however, is its partnership with the ANSF. 

“The Afghan security forces are growing and maturing at 

a rapid rate,” said Mayville. 

“Governance, combined with the growing security environment, has limited the Taliban’s ability to exert their negative influence."

 “Still, we know this is a tough fight. But it is a fight we will 

win due to our strong partnership with our Afghan security 

forces,” he said.

 In addition to its military partnership with the ANSF, 

Mayville’s CJTF-1 team will work closely with civilian agencies to promote the possibility of long-term success in the region.

 U.S. Ambassador Richard Olson, the coordinating director 

for development and economic affairs in Kabul, attended the 

ceremony and gave a brief interview about the future of the 

civilian-military partnership in RC-East.

 “The model [civilian-military] integration here is unlike 

any we’ve seen before,” said Olson.

 “The military’s strides in security, along with its joint 

work with [Provincial Reconstruction Teams], has given us 

the ability to focus on governance and development here,” 

he said.

 “We’ve contributed a lot Afghanistan in the last 10 years,” 

said Olson. “Now the challenge is to make sure the Afghan 

people have the capacity to continue these successes and projects after 2014.”

(continued from page 19)

While this will be the unit’s first deployment to 

Afghanistan, it is the second time the 1st Inf. Div.’s 

headquarters will deploy as a modular headquarters, separate from the units it commands. The division’s headquarters departed for a yearlong tour to 

Iraq in late 2009 without its subordinate brigades. 

Upon arrival in Afghanistan, Soldiers will assume the role of a regional command headquarters 

in Eastern Afghanistan. The primary mission for 

the Soldiers will be to work with Afghan nationals 

and their security forces to enable them to take 

charge of their country and be in charge permanently, Mayville said. Transitioning Afghan nationals to full sovereignty will be on the forefront of 

the unit’s tasks, the general added. 

“We know we have a tough mission in front of 

us as we prepare to assume command of Regional 

Command-East,” Mayville said. “But our Soldiers 

are trained, skilled, and they are themselves seasoned combat veterans. They are ready. We are 

ready.” 

The division’s headquarters team will be joined 

by a few familiar faces later this spring, when the 

“Big Red One’s” 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team 

arrives in Eastern Afghanistan. The “Dragon” Brigade is scheduled to serve under the division’s 

headquarters for a nine-month deployment. 

Amanda Kim Stairrett, Duty First! Magazine

Maj. Gen. William Mayville, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding general, speaks during a casing ceremony March 7 

at Fort Riley, as Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Sasser, the division's senior NCO, keeps an eye on the troops before them at 

Cavalry Parade Field. 

Sgt. Roland Hale, RC-East Public affairs

Maj. Gen. William C. Mayville Jr., commanding general of Combined Task Force-1 and the 1st Infantry Division, gives a speech at a transfer of authority ceremony April 19 on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. 

‘Big Red One’ assumes mission in eastern Afghanistan

BY SGT. ROLAND HALE

RC-EAST PUBLIC AFFAIRS

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN—THE 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION, KNOWN FAMOUSLY AS 

THE “BIG RED ONE,” TOOK 

CHARGE OF MILITARY OPERATIONS IN EASTERN AFGHANISTAN APRIL 19 IN A CEREMONY 

ON BAGRAM AIRFIELD.

IN THE CEREMONY, THE DIVISION ASSUMED COMMAND AUTHORITY OF REGIONAL COMMAND-EAST FROM THE 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION. THE LATTER IS 

RETURNING TO FORT HOOD, 

TEXAS, AFTER A SUCCESSFUL 

YEAR-LONG TOUR HERE. 
22

| www.riley.army.mil Duty First! Comings and Goings |23

By Mollie Miller 

1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs 

A man who has called the Army his “home” for more than 25 years be-

came the senior noncommissioned of-

ficer of the 1st Infantry Division’s Sus-

tainment Brigade in early March.

Command Sgt. Maj. Virgil McCloud, 

who joined the National Guard in 1980 

and came on active duty in 1985, became 

the “Durable” brigade’s top enlisted Sol-

dier on March 13 when Command Sgt. 

Maj. Miguel Rivera assumed the role of 

the senior noncommissioned officer for 

the division’s rear detachment. 

“The doors just opened up and this 

is great,” McCloud said.

A self-described Air Force brat, Mc-

Cloud grew up all around the country 

and, if pressed, will say West Virginia is 

home. There is another “home,” howev-

er, that is really much closer to his heart.

“For me, the Army is my home,” he 

said. “I have been part of the military 

for all but four years of my life so this is 

my home.” 

 Like his father before him, McCloud 

has traveled all around the world dur-

ing his career and spent time in Germa-

ny, Bosnia and throughout the United 

States. 

 McCloud is no stranger to Fort Ri-

ley. The Bradley mechanic served as a 

first sergeant in 1st Battalion, 16th In-

fantry Regiment from 1998–2001. Dur-

ing his time with 1st Bn., 16th Inf. Regt., 

he deployed with Task Force 1-16 to 

Bosnia. 

McCloud returned to Fort Riley in 

May 2011 to be the senior noncommis-

sioned officer of the Division Headquar-

ters and Headquarters Battalion. That 

assignment marked his third battalionlevel command sergeant major assign

-

ment. His new job at the Sustainment 

Brigade is McCloud’s first brigade-level 

command sergeant major job. 

“I feel really good about what I am 

seeing here (at the Sustainment Bri-

gade),” the command sergeant major 

said. “Going forward, we are going to 

stay focused on Soldiers, Soldier train-

ing and the basic care of our Soldiers.”

Caring for his Soldiers and ensuring 

his Durable team knows that he cares 

about each of them and their Families is 

a top priority for McCloud. The senior 

noncommissioned officer considers this 

part of his job so important that he car-

ries a reminder of it in his pocket every 

day—a piece of notebook paper on 

which he scribbled “people will never 

care how much you know until they 

know how much you care.” 

“My Soldiers have to know that I 

care, their Families have to know that I 

care,” McCloud said.

The new Durable command sergeant 

major said his Soldiers can expect that 

day-to-day training and operations will 

continue as usual and will look very 

similar to the operations and training 

they saw while Rivera occupied the bri-

gade’s top NCO spot. 

“There is no sense in reinventing the 

wheel while it is rolling along,” Mc-

Cloud said. “Command Sgt. Maj. Rive-

ra did a fabulous job and I’m going to 

carry on with what he started and try 

and improve on it and leave my mark 

as well.” 

Sustainment Brigade's new senior NCO at home in Army

Mollie Miller, Duty First! Magazine

Command Sgt. Maj. Virgil McCloud (opposite page and above left) listens as the staff noncom-

missioned officers at the 1st Sustainment Brigade brief him on who they are and what their sec-

tions need during a meet-and-greet gathering March 20 at brigade headquarters. McCloud be-

came the senior noncommissioned officer at the “Durable” Brigade March 13 when Command 

Sgt. Maj. Miguel Rivera assumed the role of senior noncommissioned officer for the 1st Infantry 

Division’s rear detachment. 

“People will never care how 

much you know until they 

know how much you care.”

— Command Sgt. Maj. Virgil McCloud,

senior NCO, “Durable” Brigade
Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Thomson was 

chosen to succeed Command Sgt. Maj. 

Tod Glidewell as the command sergeant 

major of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of 

Excellence and Aviation Branch. Thomson 

is the first “Big Red One” command sergeant major to be selected for the position. 

“I think this is a great opportunity to 

make a big difference (in Army Aviation),” 

Thomson said last week. “After 25 years in 

the Army, all of it in aviation, I feel like I 

have a lot to contribute to the branch.”

As the new USAACE/Aviation Branch 

command sergeant major, Thomson will 

be responsible for the approximately 

70,000 Soldiers assigned to the branch. 

According to Glidewell, Thomson’s primary focus will be “advising (Maj. Gen. 

Anthony Crutchfield) on all enlisted matters and the daily training conducted at 

Fort Rucker, Ala., Fort Huachuca, Ariz., 

and Fort Eustis, Va.”

Thomson has gotten plenty of practice 

advising on all matters related to aviation 

training since arriving at Fort Riley May 20, 

2006. One of the first dozen or so aviation 

Soldiers to come to the Flint Hills to prepare 

the post for the reintroduction of the 1st Inf. 

Div. aviation brigade, Thomson said the 

challenges were many in the days before the 

brigade officially uncased its colors. 

“It was very challenging because facilities weren’t ready for a CAB of our size, 

there wasn’t a pool of people to pull from 

... and barracks space wasn’t really available so our Soldiers were moved around a 

lot,” he said. “Eventually, though, it all 

came together.” 

Initially assigned as the command sergeant major of the 601st Aviation Support 

Battalion, Thomson assumed the brigade’s senior enlisted spot on Sept. 4, 

2009, following the CAB’s 15 month deployment to Iraq. From his new spot at 

the brigade’s headquarters, Thomson said 

he watched his aviation Soldiers step to 

the plate to prepare for another trip to Iraq 

after having been home for just more than 

one year. 

“We went out as one brigade to replace 

four,” Thomson said of the CAB’s 2010–11 

deployment. “These young Soldiers just 

pulled it together and totally impressed 

and amazed me.” 

Although many things have happened 

during the past six years that have made 

Thomson very proud, it is the “Demon” 

Brigade Soldiers’ professionalism and 

commitment to excellence that impresses 

him the most. It is the times when he has 

watched each of his Soldiers excel that he 

considers his “best BRO moments.”

“What I have seen over these six years 

is a bunch of men and women who were 

sent here to do a very difficult mission 

and, every time they were asked, these 

young Soldiers came together and did 

things they wouldn’t normally do,” 

Thomson said. “They have been a privilege to watch.” 

Glidewell said there are many things 

that make Thomson a good choice to succeed him at Fort Rucker like a resume that 

includes recent deployments to Iraq and 

Afghanistan and a strong commitment to 

nurturing the Army family he shares with 

his wife Jennifer. 

“The commanding general made the 

selection but, in my opinion, he couldn’t 

have picked a better guy,” he said. 

“(Thomson) possesses the insight and 

strategic vision we need to take the branch 

into the future.” 

 Reflecting on the past six years he has 

spent with the 1st Inf. Div., Thomson he 

will always consider his time at Fort Riley 

one of the most rewarding assignments of 

his career. 

“While I have a choice of patches to 

wear on my right shoulder, I think I will 

wear (the 1st Inf. Div.) patch the most often,” he said. “I can’t overstate how proud 

I have been to walk in the footsteps of my 

‛Big Red One brothers.’ ” 

Thomson officially transferred his 1st 

CAB responsibilities to interim Command 

Sgt. Maj. Don Wright on Feb. 16 and assumed the duties of his new job during a 

ceremony March 27 at Fort Rucker. 

After 25 years 

in the Army, all 

of it in 

aviation, I feel 

like I have a 

lot to 

contribute to the branch.”

— Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Thomson,

U.S. Army Aviation Center 

of Experience and Aviation Brabch

24| www.facebook.com/1stInfantryDivision Duty First! Comings and Goings |25

Sgt. Keven Parry, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Thomson speaks to fuelers with Task Force Nightmare at a Forward Arm and Refuel Point during their Joint Readiness 

Training Center rotation Nov. 6.

Army Aviation Branch 

selects 1st CAB CSM 

for top position

A

Soldier who 

h a s b e e n a n 

integral part of the 1st 

Combat Aviation Brigade 

since the unit stood up at Fort Riley 

six years ago has been selected to lead 

Army Aviation to even greater heights as the 

branch’s new senior noncommissioned officer. 

Story by Mollie Miller ▪ Duty First! Magazine

Sgt. Keven Parry, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Thomson attaches the streamer for the Meritorious Unit Commendation 

to the Combat Aviation Brigade guidon during his final formation with the brigade at Marshall 

Army Airfield on Feb. 16.
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