1st Inf. Div. Marches in Little Apple Veterans Day Parade

MANHATTAN, Kansas – The U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division participated in this year's Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan Kansas, on Nov. 10, 2023.

The 1st Inf. Div. Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard and 1st Inf. Div. Band led Soldiers of the Big Red One as they marched along Poyntz Ave. Maj. Gen. John V. Meyer III, commander of the 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley, presided over the parade alongside other honored guests of the Fort Riley and Manhattan communities.

“It’s fun showing out in the community and getting support for the military,” said Spc. David Cartwright, an intelligence analyst assigned to the 1st Inf. Div. Sustainment Brigade, 1st Inf. Div.

A Ceremony of Honor, highlighting veterans who served during the Cold War period, was held after the parade’s conclusion at the Peace Memorial Auditorium. Brig. Gen. (retired) William A. Turner, director of the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs Office, who once served as the deputy commanding general of support in the 1st Inf. Div., was recognized during the event.

“I knew that from my assignment in Europe and from what I had learned from the [noncommissioned officers] and officers that supervised me there, I was sure that I was ready to deploy and engage in combat,” said Turner. “Even though I was new to this particular unit, there was still a common understanding and there was a confidence among us, a shared trust that we had, that we knew we could count on one another when the time came.”