Big Red One Year of Honor focuses on Victory

FORT RILEY, KS, UNITED STATES

10.20.2021

Story by Sgt. Joshua Oh 

1st Infantry Division

FORT RILEY, Kan. -- The 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley hosted its Big Red One Year of Honor Leadership Professional Development panel and commemoration ceremony for 1ID Medal of Honor recipients on October 20, 2021.

The ceremony honored 1ID MoH recipients Pvt. Sterling Morelock, Sgt. Michael B. Ellis, Capt. Bobbie E. Brown, Wilbur E. Colyer, Sgt. Max Thompson, and 2nd Lt. Harold B. Durham for their actions during battle and their bravery in the face of danger.

“This is our largest group of Medal of Honor recipients in a single month,” said Maj. Gen. D.A. Sims II, the commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, during the commemoration ceremony. “Although they do not know one another, each demonstrated the same virtues and commitment. The common thread that binds these six to the other 31 in our division is a tenacious dedication to those around them.”

October’s Big Red One Year of Honor commemoration ceremony was particularly significant because of the fact that the surviving family members of 2nd Lt. Harold B. Durham were also in attendance.

“The ceremony today was very moving,” said Marilyn Durham, the sister-in-law of the MoH recipient. “When somebody has been remembered in such a way and be recognized in a place like this, I think it’s fantastic.”
The 28th Infantry Regiment Association, also known as the Black Lions, was also in attendance for the ceremony. Retired Army Maj. Mark Smith, a member of the organization, spoke on his experience with Durham on the battlefield.

Smith said he was actually present at the scene on the day Durham died. He recalled that next to Durham’s body was one of his brave sergeants guarding his remains. He went on to state that, that is a moment that should never be forgotten by anyone in the Black Lions.
Following the ceremony, the panel discussion focused on victory, where panelists had the opportunity to discuss their experiences with victories. Victories, which were won in the face of adversity, hardship, loss, and challenge.

The panel consisted of retired U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Kirstie Ennis, an entrepreneur, athlete, and mountaineer; Randall Zimmerman, the head football and track coach for Junction City High School; Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; and Kelly Cagle, a former Virginia Tech head women’s soccer coach.

Ennis, a former Marine, and a “disabled athlete”-turned mountaineer, recalls some lessons learned while reaching the tops of the highest places in the world, to include the south summit of Mount Everest as an amputee.

“I would love to sit up here and tell every single one of you that I am the strong one, and that I did it all by myself, but that’s not the case; I have to be able to rely on people around me and trust those people,” said Ennis. “It’s not hard being a mountaineer. Sure, physically, you must be strong. But at the end of the day, you have to be strong, stubborn, and stupid. You have to be able to push yourself, keep going, and forget about how much it sucked the day before.”

Zimmerman, a Junction City High School coach, spoke about his experiences teaching in a community where most of his students come from military homes.

“It’s the neatest thing to see kids who are born from all over the world with completely different upbringings come together and care for each other so much,” said Zimmerman.

Zimmerman would go on to talk about the values he instills within his team which reflects the values of the Army.

Kendrick, the president of the NLBM, opened up his appearance by drawing connections between Fort Riley and Jackie Robinson during the LPD and how Robinson once called Fort Riley his home. He spoke about the challenges of African Americans during those times when Robinson lived, stating that even when facing adversity or even hate, African Americans chose to fight for a country that wasn’t fighting for them.

Cagle, a former Virginia Tech soccer coach, was able to recall her victory in overcoming a tragedy during her tenure at the institution. She was able to overcome the tragic events of the infamous Virginia Tech shooting that unfolded on April 16, 2007, because she was able to properly grieve with her students and faculty members. Through this healing process, she was able to see the importance of resilience and the real meaning of being a mentor and coach.

Each panelist discussed their victories and shared their respective stories during both a morning and afternoon LPD to different levels of Fort Riley leadership. At the end of each discussion, members of the audience had the opportunity to ask panelists questions regarding how their victories not only aided them in life, but how it could be transferred over into warfighting mastery as well.

To cap the day’s events, Durham’s family and the Black Lions were able to participate in a street renaming ceremony where they would unveil a newly named street on Fort Riley in his honor. Anderson Street was renamed Durham Street on what used to be the corner of A.P. Hill Drive and Anderson Street.

• Date Taken: 10.20.2021
• Date Posted: 10.22.2021 07:51
• Story ID: 407759
• Location: FORT RILEY, KS, US