Fort Knox, Ky. — Eighty-six years, 16 live-fire iterations, one booming birthday celebration.
While providing support to annual Cadet Summer Training operations at Fort Knox, Soldiers from the Fort Bliss, Texas-based 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division celebrated the 1AD’s 86th birthday with a multi-vehicle, live-fire celebration July 15.
Lieutenant Col. Daniel Plumb, the battalion commander, said his unit could not let the day pass without a proper celebration.
“We saw an opportunity; we saw this date, we saw resources, we saw time and we said, ‘Let's have a birthday party!’” said Plumb.
The event featured two M1 Abrams tanks, two M2 Bradley fighting vehicles and two M109 Paladin howitzers. For each of the three vehicle classes, one was used in the live-fire demonstration while the other was placed on static display. Each vehicle in the demonstration fired 16 times in honor of the 16 years since the U.S. Army Armor Center and School’s departure from Fort Knox to Fort Benning, Georgia.
“We wanted to honor the division's birthday and the legacy of armor at Fort Knox,” Plumb said.
A select group of community leaders, alongside CST cadets and cadre, were invited to attend the event.
“A big part of why we're doing this is to keep a legacy alive,” he said. “We also hope to inspire future maneuverists so we can continue with new blood as the rest of us move on.”
Editor’s note: For more content from the event, follow the link to the Fort Knox Flickr album.
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