FORT RILEY, Kansas – Soldiers and community members of the Big Red One and Fort Riley conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the 1st Infantry Division Museum, Apr. 25, 2024.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John V. Meyer III, commander of the 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley, Dr. Robert Smith, director of Fort Riley Museums, and Staff Sgt. (ret.) James Sharp, a Veteran who served with the 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Inf. Div., during the Second World War, cut the ribbon together.
“A little more than 10 months ago we cut the yellow ribbon and opened the Cavalry Museum,” said Smith. “Today, with the opening of the 1st Inf. Div. Museum, we have reached the capstone of museum redesign and remodel projects that began nearly 15 years ago. I could not have accomplished this without the support and assistance of so many talented people.”
The museum will offer guided tours and opportunities for Soldiers and members of the surrounding community to look back through the history of the division. Each exhibit offers insight into the lineage of the division and the pivotal role it played in every major U.S. conflict of the last century.
“Why do we have Army museums?,” asked Meyer during the opening remarks made before the ribbon cutting. “Why do we dedicate resources to a museum? Well, there are 13,578 reasons why. Those are the names on the monument that I will re-dedicate next month at the White House in Washington D.C.”
The museum along with the upcoming dedication in the U.S. capitol, memorializes the history of the 1st Inf. Div. and the 13,578 Soldiers, 36 of which were recipients of the Medal of Honor, who served in 36 campaigns over 107 years.
Date Taken: | 05.14.2024 |
Date Posted: | 05.14.2024 17:14 |
Story ID: | 471274 |
Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
Web Views: | 43 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1st Inf. Div. Museum Opens, by SGT Charles Leitner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.