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1st ID bids Germany farewell

By Spc. Stephen Baack
July 6, 2006

WURZBURG, Germany (Army News Service, July 6, 2006) – The 1st Infantry Division marked the end of its 10-year residency in Germany with a departure ceremony at Victory Park on Leighton Barracks July 6.

The colors of Big Red One are scheduled to be unfurled at Fort Riley, Kan., Aug. 1, at which time the division will assume command and control of its units now there. The division will assume the mission of training foreign security forces in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

Despite numerous deployments to distant countries within the past 10 years, Big Red One Soldiers have built lasting relationships with German friends and colleagues. For many, the ceremony marked a bittersweet day.

“When I think about the division leaving Germany and returning to the States, I can’t help but be saddened just a little,” said Maj. Gen. Kenneth W. Hunzeker, 1st ID commanding general. “Like many of you, I’ve spent a large part of my military life here in Germany. We will miss the culture, the people, the partnerships, the opportunity to travel and even the challenges associated with leading troops overseas.

“Serving in Europe has also afforded our leaders the opportunity to visit battlefields and walk the ground where our forefathers fought during World War I and World War II,” added Hunzeker. “We are humbled to have been so fortunate to be able to study our profession on the ground that was fought to bring back freedom and democracy to this great continent.”

Established in 1917 during WWI, the division moved to Germany after WWII. It remained there until 1955, when it first moved to Fort Riley, Kan. From there, Big Red One Soldiers answered the call to fight in Vietnam, Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

On April 10, 1996, the division moved back to Germany, where it has played key roles in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II from February 2004 to February 2005.

“The Big Red One is privileged to have served more than 43 cumulative years on European soil,” said Hunzeker. “Thousands upon thousands of 1st Infantry Division veterans, from almost every era in our history, have shared in the experience of living and serving alongside our friends and neighbors in this great country. The fond memories that we have all had serving in Europe help to forever link us to the group of veterans who are very proud to have worn our patch and to the generations of Germans who have shown us hospitality for so many years.”

(Editor’s note: SPC Stephen Baack writes for the 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office.)