Photo By Sgt. Michael Roach | Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley acting senior commander,...... read more read more
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 1st Infantry Division Band and the Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard took part in a ceremony commemorating the United States’ entry into World War I April 6 at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
“We’re very proud to host this event here today,” said Sylvester “Sly” James Jr., mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, while speaking to the crowd. “The World War I museum is one of our crown jewels.”
“In Sacrifice of Liberty and Peace: Centennial Commemoration of the U.S. Entry into World War I” was presented by the United States World War One Centennial Commission. A multimedia production, the event featured live musical performances, excerpts from upcoming documentaries on the war, guest speakers and readings from various correspondence of that period. Flyovers were executed by Patrouille de France (the French air force’s precision aerobatic team) and a B-2 stealth bomber from the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. As part of the ceremony, cannons were fired by Battery D, 1st Battalion, 129th Field Artillery Regiment, Missouri Army Reserve National Guard.
Robert M. Speer, acting secretary of the U.S. Army, was one of many guest speakers at the event. Speer took the opportunity to explain the lasting impact that World War I had on the Army.
“As the Army Center for Military Excellence has pointed out,” Speer said, “a Soldier from the 19th century would have been lost and amazed in the Army in 1919 at the close of the war. But, a Soldier from today would have felt right at home.”
Speer went on to say that the standards and traditions begun during World War I not only helped define the Army for a new era but also became a baseline for how the organization continues to function in modern times.
Commemorating the involvement of the U.S. in World War I, the event that marked the beginning of the 1st Inf. Div., the CGMCG donned historic “doughboy” uniforms to serve as the color guard for the ceremony.
“It’s amazing; it’s the most unique thing I’ve done in my Army career,” said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Fellin, the operations noncommissioned officer for the CGMCG. “It’s an honor to represent Fort Riley. It’s an honor to represent the 1st Inf. Div. and where we come from.”
While the era-appropriate uniforms were a change of pace from the normal frontier garb that the CCMCG wears when on horseback, the group is always prepared to dismount for events which help celebrate the heritage of the “Big Red One,” according to Fellin.
“We often say that the story of the 1st Inf. Div. is the story of America over the last 100 years,” said Brig Gen. Patrick D. Frank, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley acting senior commander, who attended the event. “We are here today to commemorate U.S. involvement in a war that would largely define the next century of world history. We also remember the Soldiers who forever set the standard for what it means to be a Big Red One Soldier.”
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2017 11:07 |
| Story ID: | 229965 |
| Location: | KANSAS CITY, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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