FORT KNOX, Ky. -- The post bid the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, adieu as the unit cased its colors, inactivating May 21 on Brooks Field.
The brigade was first activated in May 1917 and has been inactivated two other times in its history. The "Duke" brigade's latest inactivation was part of the Army's force reduction.
Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley commanding general, reviewing officer and son of Kentucky, said it was a great day to be home. He also thanked everyone for attending the historic event.
"We serve selflessly (and) answer the nation's call," Funk said, adding the "Duke" brigade's colors hold a proud story.
Funk highlighted the brigade's history, saying how instrumental it was during America's infancy and helped the nation become the world power that it is today. He paralleled the brigade with a John "The Duke" Wayne quote: "Give the American people a great cause, and there is nothing they can't lick."
Funk charged the Duke brigade Soldiers to go forth and make the Army better.
"I'm honored to serve with you under these Army colors," he said. "When these colors fly again, it's because the Army (needs you). Dukes, duty first, victory."
Col. William B. Ostlund, the brigade's commander, began by paying tribute to fallen Duke Soldiers: 1st Lt. Jason Togi, Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Lacey and Spc. Angel Lopez.
"These are the Soldiers I've been privileged to command," Ostlund said about the fallen.
He said May 21 it was 699 days before when the Soldiers stood on Brooks Field and he took command of the brigade.
"That day, the Duke brigade was recently returned from Afghanistan, not reset, and we were preparing to train for (an) unannounced, ambiguous and ever-changing mission," Ostlund said.
The division was deployed, but brigade leaders had training guidance and instruction directly from the U.S. Forces Command commander Gen. David Rodriguez. He directed leaders train the brigade as a decisive action force operating in an austere counterinsurgency environment, Ostlund said.
"When we were postured to deploy, I charged each Duke Soldier with a simple task," Ostlund said. "That was to deploy with honor and redeploy with honor. Duke leaders ensured this task was complete."
Ostlund said the brigade deployed during multiple months across the whole of Afghanistan, a country the size of Texas. The Soldiers neutralized the enemy, advised and assisted the Afghan Security Forces and bettered Afghan governance.
It was during this deployment the brigade received orders to inactivate.
"In fact, we began inactivating before we redeployed," Ostlund said. "Our incredible rear operations began the heavy lifting associated with inactivation while still pushing combat power forward, receiving redeploying Soldiers and maintaining the left-behind equipment and facilities and leading those left on Fort Knox."
In the weeks leading up to the inactivation, Ostlund said he thanked individual Soldiers, leaders, family members and the community.
"As Gen. (Raymond) Odierno, the 38th chief of staff of the United States Army, stated, 'The strength of our nation is our Army, the strength of our Army is our Soldiers, the strength of our Soldiers is our families. That is what makes us Army strong,'" Ostlund said. "I'll be so bold as to add the strength of our families is our larger community. Again, thank you to all Duke supporters."
Ostlund said the Duke Soldiers answered the country's call and he would forever be extremely proud and humbled to have served as Duke 6.
"I am proud to stand by your side, anytime, anywhere -- as together we strive to hand down our country larger and better than we received it," he said.
He also thanked the brigade families and his wife, Heather, who he said did an exceptional job raising three incredible sons.
"As we case the colors of 3-1 IBCT, until again called to the active roles -- likely in time of conflict -- I will leave you with a quote from Steven Pressfield's 'Gates of Fire,' delivered by Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Meyers at his recent retirement ceremony," Ostlund said. "'When a warrior fights not for himself, but for his brothers, when his most passionately sought goal is neither glory nor his own life's preservation, but to spend his substance for them, his comrades, not to abandon them, not to prove unworthy of them, then his heart truly has achieved contempt for death. ... This is why the true warrior cannot speak of battle save to his brothers who have been there with him. This truth is too holy -- too sacred for words.'"
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