The 1st Infantry Division headquarters officially marked its return, Tuesday, to Fort Riley after successfully completing its first deployment to Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. William Mayville, Jr., and Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Sasser, Jr., the division’s commander and senior noncommissioned officer, uncased the division’s colors during a ceremony at the post’s Victory Park. local and state leadership were in attendance including, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback; Brigadier Gen. Donald M. MacWillie and Manhattan City Manager, Ron Fehr.
Operating as Combined Joint Task Force-1, the 1st Inf. Div. commanded and controlled RC-East, an area roughly the size of Virginia, which included 14 provinces, 7.5 million citizens and 450 km of a mountainous border with Pakistan. More than 1,000 Soldiers assigned to various 1st Inf. Div. units remain deployed throughout Afghanistan.