Steve Pringle was born to a Navy father in St. Petersburg, Florida, and moved to New England as an infant. He grew up in Connecticut and joined the Army in 1979.
He attended basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he became a tank turret mechanic, 45M military occupational specialty. He later changed to tank system mechanic, 63N MOS.
In 1979, after basic training and AIT, Pringle's story with the Big Red One began when he was assigned to an armor unit at Fort Riley.
After his tour at with the Armor Unit, he was sent to Germany where he met Karin, who would become his wife. Additionally, he served tours at Fort Hood, Texas, and Korea before returning to Fort Riley where he was assigned to the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division as the prescribed load list -- Army management system clerk, and later as the motor sergeant.
During this tour at Fort Riley, Pringle was deployed with the 1st Eng. Bn. to support Operation Desert Storm.
He returned to Fort Riley in 1992 and left active duty Army to join the Kansas National Guard. He served with the ARNG in Junction City, Kansas, until 1995 and left military service as a staff sergeant.
Pringle said, after the service, the family decided to stay in the Junction City area. They owned a home and the kids were attending school.
"I had a job with the state repairing Army equipment at that time as well," he said. We really liked the area and I did not really want to move back to Connecticut. We enjoyed the hospitality of the community then and still do today."
Some of his best memories are about how good the Soldiers were treated.
"We were well taken care of and there were a lot of activities to do," Pringle said.
A part of Army life he liked included trips to National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California.
"It was something different and I liked the training," Pringle said. "I enjoyed getting to fire the big guns.
He said the battalion picnics at Moon Lake bring back nice memories.
Today Pringle is the owner of Mastercut Lawn and Landscape, an enterprise he started in 1994. In 2005, he expanded the business by adding a potting shed, greenhouse and nursery.
He is involved in several organizations, including the Flint Hills Rotary Club, where he served as president three times. He has worked with Habitat for Humanity, the American Legion, Forty and Eight, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans. He is a past board member of Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce and is a chamber ambassador.
"I was awarded the Ambassador of the Year for 2001 and Volunteer of the Year in 2004 and 2007," Pringle said. He is also a member of the Junction City Tree and Flower board, Tree USA and past board member of the Junction City America in Bloom project.
His volunteer service to the community includes maintaining the landscape at the Vietnam Memorial and the Police Memorial at Heritage Park and organizing the National POW-MIA Recognition Day Ceremony held the third Friday of September each year.
He is also an active board member of the annual Run for the Wall Motorcycle Event.
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