MANHATTAN, Kansas -- Willie the Wildcat traded in his purple football jersey for an Army Combat Uniform on Oct. 4 for the Kansas State University Fort Riley Day football game.
Soldiers and leaders from the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley were on hand to witness the team's 45-13 victory over Texas Tech. "Big Red One" troops supported the team on the field and off, being present for the coin toss, doing pushups whenever the home team scored and cheering on the Wildcats from the stands. The football team's partner unit, the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div., known as the "Black Lions," also celebrated each Wildcat touchdown with a volley of cannon fire, and the 1st Inf. Div. Band played with the K-State marching band before the game and during the halftime show.
"We are honored to have our dear friends from Fort Riley and the Black Lions with us today," said K-State head football coach Bill Snyder in a taped message that played during halftime. "Your courage, your commitment and the sacrifices made by you and your families to keep our country safe is greatly appreciated."
Big Red One Soldiers were on the sidelines and in the stands during the game, with a few on the field beforehand.
"It was exciting," said Sgt. Minnette Sandoval, Company C, 701st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div.
Sandoval is the division's Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter and was present during the pregame coin toss, along with Soldier of the Quarter Spc. Timothy Grace, Troop B, 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Inf. Div.
"There's a whole lot of stuff going on," Sandoval said. "It goes a really long way. You feel like you're not forgotten about, that you're on their minds.
"This is a big thing to Kansas State, it's a big thing to the people who live here in Kansas, so to know that we're a part of that -- it's unmatched."
Troops and families were treated to a free tailgate before the game and Soldiers manned static displays to give the public a close-up look at equipment and vehicles, as well as the men and women who operate them.
Spc. Lorenne Mujica, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd ABCT, 1st Inf. Div., said she has never been in a place where so many civilians are expressly grateful for the military.
"They're grateful for our sacrifice," she said.
Mujica, from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, was part of the team that displayed the large garrison American flag on the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium during the halftime show. The Soldier said that she realized as she was on the field that the sold-out stadium was cheering for the flag.
"That's pretty awesome," she said.
Sgt. Tyler Plummer, 1st Bn., 28th Inf. Regt., 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., one of the Black Lions Soldiers doing pushups on the sidelines to mark each point won by the football team, said the game was fun.
"It's good to see the college side and the military side come together," Plummer said. "It shows the support the community has for the military."
When asked who he was cheering for, Plummer didn't hesitate: "K-State all the way."
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