1ST INFANTRY DIVISION PRESS RELEASES

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‘Devil’ brigade Soldier dies in Junction City, Kansas — A 1st Infantry Division Soldier was found dead in his residence in Junction City, Kansas,... read more

‘Devil’ brigade Soldier dies in Junction City, Kansas — A 1st Infantry Division Soldier was found dead in his residence in Junction City, Kansas, Dec. 16. Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Johnson, an artillery mechanic with Battery F, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., was found unresponsive in his home by a friend who called 911. Johnson was pronounced dead by the first responders. The Junction City Police Department is investigating Johnson’s death. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our great teammate, Sgt. 1st Class Johnson," said Lt. Col. Richard J. Ikena Jr., commander of the 1st Bn., 5th FA Regt. "Our team is rallying to support Sgt. 1st Class Johnson's family, teammates and friends through these challenging times." Johnson joined the Army in April 1993 and arrived at Fort Riley in September 2014. He was 46 years old. Johnson’s home of record is Sumter, South Carolina. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Award, Meritorious Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Certificate of Achievement, Driver & Mechanic Badge, Driver and Mechanic with Driver – Wheeled Vehicles and Driver and Mechanic Badge with Driver – Tracked Vehicles. Johnson deployed to South Korea in 1998; Kuwait in 2002; Iraq in 2003, 2007 and 2010; and again to South Korea in 2016. -30- Any queries about the incident should be directed to the JCPD at (785) 762-5912.  less

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‘Big Red One’ dining facilities to serve Thanksgiving meals — To celebrate the holiday and show appreciation for all members of the “Big Red... read more

‘Big Red One’ dining facilities to serve Thanksgiving meals — To celebrate the holiday and show appreciation for all members of the “Big Red One” family, the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley are offering Thanksgiving meals Nov. 22-23 at two of the post’s dining facilities. In addition to serving world-class meals, food service Soldiers at the Devil’s Den and Demon Diner dining facilities are competing to win the Commander’s Best Thanksgiving Dining Facility Competition. In keeping with the Army tradition, leaders from throughout the Big Red One – including Maj. Gen. Joseph M. Martin, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Cornelison, the division’s senior noncommissioned officer – will serve Thanksgiving meals to their Soldiers. The Thanksgiving meals are open to all Soldiers, Department of Defense civilians, contractors and their guests. The standard meal price is $9.05 with a discounted rate of $6.80 offered to family members of Soldiers ranked specialist and below. Only cash will be accepted for these meals; however, an ATM is located outside of each dining facility. The Thanksgiving meal at Demon Diner, 694 Huebner Road, on Nov. 22 will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu will include rotisserie turkey, seared duck breast, baked ham, steamed crab legs, baked lobster tails, green bean casserole, candied yams, savory bread and sausage stuffing, fresh mashed potatoes and collard greens. Desserts will include sugar cookies, cheesecake, German chocolate cake, banana pudding, chocolate truffles, eggnog milkshakes, assorted pies and pumpkin and maple bourbon ice cream. The Thanksgiving meal at Devil’s Den, 7011 Siebert St., also on Nov. 22 will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu will include shrimp cocktails, roast turkey, steamship round of beef with au jus gravy, butterflied lobster tails, seasoned crab legs, candied sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, carrots almandine, bacon wrapped asparagus, buttered corn on the cob and more. Deserts include assorted cakes, pies and cookies. Devil’s Den will also serve a Thanksgiving meal on Nov. 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. That menu will include roast turkey, baked ham with brown sugar glaze, stuffed baked fish, mashed potatoes, savory stuffing, sautéed summer squash, honey-glazed carrots and assorted sides and deserts. Devil’s Den will remain open for regular weekend/holiday hours Nov. 24-26. -30- Media interested in attending the Nov. 22 Thanksgiving meal can contact the 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office at (785) 240-1796 or send an email to jason.p.roberts22.ctr@mail.mil. The deadline to RSVP for the event is noon, Nov. 21.   less

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‘Demon’ brigade Soldier dies on Fort Riley — A 1st Infantry Division Soldier died Oct. 21 on Fort Riley, Kansas. Sgt. 1st Class George Bible... read more

‘Demon’ brigade Soldier dies on Fort Riley — A 1st Infantry Division Soldier died Oct. 21 on Fort Riley, Kansas. Sgt. 1st Class George Bible III, a platoon sergeant and Black Hawk helicopter repairer with Company D, 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Inf. Div., was found unresponsive in his on-post residence by officers from Fort Riley’s 97th Military Police Battalion. He was later pronounced dead by a doctor with Irwin Army Community Hospital. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Sgt. 1st Class Bible during this difficult time,” said Lt. Col. John E. Tiedeman, 3rd AHB, 1st Avn. Regt., commander. “It was an honor to serve by his side. His absence will be felt throughout the Army aviation community. We will never forget the contributions he made to this battalion, the Army and our nation.” Bible joined the Army in March 2002 and arrived at Fort Riley in February. He was 36 years old. His home of record is Clarksville, Tennessee. He deployed to Iraq in 2006 and 2007 and to Afghanistan in 2008, 2011 and 2013. Bible’s awards include the Air Medal with Valor, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Medal, NATO Medal, Certificate of Achievement, Combat Action Badge, Senior Aviation Badge, Aviation Badge, Air Assault Badge and Driver and Mechanic With Driver - Wheeled Vehicles. The incident remains under investigation by the Fort Riley Criminal Investigation Command office. For questions about the investigation, please contact U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command Public Affairs Office at (571) 305-4041.  less

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‘Fighting Sixth’ to return from South Korea — FORT RILEY, Kan. — More than 400 Soldiers with the 1st Heavy Attack Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th... read more

‘Fighting Sixth’ to return from South Korea — FORT RILEY, Kan. — More than 400 Soldiers with the 1st Heavy Attack Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, are set to return soon from a nine-month deployment to South Korea. The “Fighting Sixth” deployed to South Korea in February 2017 as part of a regular rotation of forces in support of the South Korea – U.S. alliance under the 2nd Infantry Division. While deployed, the squadron trained closely with their South Korean counterparts in order to deter North Korean aggression and provide security to the Korean peninsula. During the deployment, 1st Sqdn., 6th Cav. Regt., conducted multiple training exercises just miles from the demilitarized zone. The exercises included Scout Weapons Team live-fire exercises, AH-64D Apache attack helicopter and RQ-7b Shadow unmanned aircraft system gunnery qualification tables, joint live-fire exercises with other 2nd Inf. Div. elements and the U.S. Air Force. Most notably, the Fighting Sixth participated in the Republic of Korea Live Fire Exercise, a live-fire demonstration of every weapons platform in the U.S. and South Korean inventory on the Korean Peninsula. As part of a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and South Korea, the Fighting Sixth established a footprint across three locations: Suwon Air Base, Camp Mobile and Camp Humphreys. As the deployment draws down, the Soldiers will close operations at Suwon Air Base and consolidate at Camp Humphreys near Pyeongtaek, South Korea. All members of the squadron are expected to return by the end of October. -30- Media interested in attending a redeployment ceremony for the Fighting Sixth are asked to RSVP with the 1st Infantry Division’s Public Affairs Office by calling (785) 240-1796 or emailing jason.p.roberts22.ctr@mail.mil. Information regarding specific ceremony times will be made available as appropriate.  less

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‘Dagger’ brigade Soldier dies on Fort Riley — A 1st Infantry Division Soldier died Oct. 12 on Fort Riley, Kansas. Sgt. 1st Class Jamie Boone, a... read more

‘Dagger’ brigade Soldier dies on Fort Riley — A 1st Infantry Division Soldier died Oct. 12 on Fort Riley, Kansas. Sgt. 1st Class Jamie Boone, a signal support systems specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 82nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., was found deceased in his on-post residence. “We are deeply saddened by the death of Sgt. 1st Class Boone,” said Col. Charles Masaracchia, 1st Inf. Div. chief of staff. “His loss is a tragedy, and we will be there for his family and friends throughout this difficult time.” Boone joined the Army in June 2002 and arrived at Fort Riley in July 2014. He was 43 years old. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2002, Iraq in 2003 and 2006 and to South Korea in 2010. Boone’s awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Valorous Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Medal, Combat Action Badge and Parachutist Badge. The incident remains under investigation by the Fort Riley Criminal Investigation Command office. For questions about the investigation, please contact U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command Public Affairs Office at (571) 305-4041.  less

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‘Big Red One’ to welcome new deputy commanding general at Victory with Honors ceremony — FORT RILEY, Kan. – The “Big Red One” will welcome... read more

‘Big Red One’ to welcome new deputy commanding general at Victory with Honors ceremony — FORT RILEY, Kan. – The “Big Red One” will welcome its newest leader with a Victory with Honors ceremony at 4 p.m. Oct. 3 at the 1st Infantry Division’s headquarters on Fort Riley. Brig. Gen. Stephen G. Smith will serve as the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley deputy commanding general for support. Smith comes to the division from Kuwait where he served as the director of operations for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. Smith previously served in the Big Red One as the commander of Battery B, 25th Field Artillery (Target Acquisition), 1st Inf. Div. Artillery from October 1997 to April 1999. His decorations and badges include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. -30- Members of the media interested in attending the Victory with Honors will need to RSVP by 4 p.m. Oct. 2 by calling (785) 240-1796 or emailing jason.p.roberts22.ctr@mail.com.   less