Fort Riley is a
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
installation located in Northeast
KansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, on the
Kansas RiverThe Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
, between
Junction CityJunction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 23,353. Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army post, is nearby...
and
ManhattanManhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres (407 km²) in
GearyGeary County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 34,362. Its county seat and most populous city is Junction City. The county is named in honor of Governor John W. Geary...
and
RileyRiley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 71,115 for the 2010 census. The largest city and county seat is Manhattan. The county is part of the Manhattan, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area.Riley County is home to two of Kansas' largest...
counties and includes two
census-designated placeA census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
s:
Fort Riley NorthFort Riley North is a census-designated place that covers part of Fort Riley, a US Army installation in Geary and Riley counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. The area is more commonly known as "Custer Hill"...
and Fort Riley-Camp Whitside. The fort has a daytime population of nearly 25,000. The zip code is 66442.
Fort Riley is named in honor of
Major GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Bennett C. Riley who led the first military escort along the
Santa Fe TrailThe Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
. The fort was established in 1853 as a military post to protect the movement of people and trade over the
OregonThe Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
,
CaliforniaThe California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
, and
Santa FeThe Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
trails. In the years after the
Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Fort Riley served as a major United States Cavalry post and school for
cavalry tacticsFor much of history , humans have used some form of cavalry for war. Cavalry tactics have evolved over time...
and practice. The post was a base for skirmishes with
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
after the Civil War ended in 1865, during which time George Custer was stationed at the fort.
Later, Fort Riley became the site of the United States Cavalry School in 1887. The famous all-black 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments, the soldiers of which were called "Buffalo Soldiers", were stationed at Fort Riley at various times in the 19th and early 20th centuries. During
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the fort was home to 50,000 soldiers, and it is sometimes identified as
ground zeroThe term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...
for the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which its soldiers were said to have spread all over the world. Since the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, various infantry divisions have been assigned there. Most notably, the post was home to the famed Big Red One from 1955-1996. Between 1999 and 2006, the post was headquarters to the 24th Infantry Division and known as "America's Warfighting Center". In August 2006, the Big Red One relocated its headquarters to Fort Riley from Leighton Barracks,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Camp Whitside is named in honor of
Brigadier GeneralA brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Samuel M. Whitside, who served as commander of Company B, 6th Cavalry Regiment, at Fort Riley, between the years of 1871 and 1874.
Fort Riley is 651 miles north of Fort Hood, a 10-hour, 19-minute drive.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Fort+Hood,+Texas&daddr=Fort+Riley,+Kansas&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=65.008093,116.455078&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=7
Origins
The early history of Fort Riley is closely tied to the movement of people and trade along the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. These routes, a result of then popular United States doctrine of "
Manifest DestinyManifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrat-Republicans in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century.Advocates of...
" in the middle of the 19th century, prompted increased American military presence for the protection of American interests in this largely unsettled territory. During the 1850s, a number of military posts were established at strategic points to provide protection along these arteries of emigration and commerce.
In the fall of 1852, a surveying party under the command of Captain Robert Chilton, 1st U.S. Dragoons, selected the junction of the
RepublicanThe Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, flowing through the U.S. states of Nebraska and Kansas.-Geography:...
and
Smoky Hill RiverThe Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
s as a site for one of these forts. This location, approved by the
War DepartmentThe United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
in January 1853, offered an advantageous location from which to organize, train and equip troops in protecting the overland trails.
Surveyors believed the location near the center of the United States and named the site, Camp Center. During the late spring, three companies of the 6th Infantry occupied the camp and began construction of temporary quarters.
On June 27, 1853, Camp Center became Fort Riley—named in honor of Maj. Gen.
Bennett C. RileyBennett C. Riley was the seventh and last military governor of the territory of California before it became a U.S. state. He also served as a general in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War.-Life:Riley entered the U.S. Army at an early age...
who had led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail in 1829. The "fort" took shape around a broad plain that overlooked the Kansas River valley.
The fort's design followed the standard frontier post configuration: buildings were constructed of the most readily available material - in this case, native limestone.
In the spring, troops were dispatched to escort mail trains and protect travel routes across the plains. At the fort, additional buildings were constructed under the supervision of Capt. Edmund Ogden.
Anticipating greater utilization of the post,
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
authorized appropriations in the spring of 1855 to provide additional quarters and stables for the Dragoons. Ogden again marshaled resources and arrived from Leavenworth in July with 56 mule teams loaded with materials, craftsmen and laborers.
Work had progressed several weeks when
choleraCholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
broke out among the workers. The epidemic lasted only a few days but claimed 70 lives, including Ogden's. Work gradually resumed and buildings were readied for the arrival in October of the 2nd Dragoons.
As the fort began to take shape, an issue soon to dominate the national scene was debated during the brief territorial legislative session which met at Pawnee in the present area of Camp Whitside, named for Col.
Warren WhitsideWarren Webster Whitside was a career U.S. Army Colonel who served as a Cavalry and Quartermaster officer.- Early life :Colonel Whitside was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 2, 1875, the son of a career cavalry officer, Brig. Gen Samuel M. Whitside. He spent the first fifteen years of...
.
The first territorial legislature met there in July 1855. Slavery was a fact of life and an issue within garrison just as it was in the rest of the country. The seeds of sectional discord were emerging that would lead to "
Bleeding KansasBleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
" and eventually, civil war.
Increased tension and bloodshed between pro and anti-slavery settlers resulted in the use of the Army to "police" the troubled territory. They also continued to guard and patrol the Santa Fe Trail in 1859 and 1860 due to increased Indian threats.
The outbreak of hostilities between the North and South in 1861 disrupted garrison life. Regular units returned east to participate in the Civil War while militia units from Kansas and other states used Riley as a base from which to launch campaigns to show the flag and offer a degree of protection to trading caravans using the Santa Fe Trail. In the early stages of the war, the fort was used to confine confederate prisoners.
Custer
The conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 witnessed Fort Riley again assuming an importance in providing protection to railroad lines being built across Kansas. Evidence of this occurred in the summer and fall of 1866 when the 7th Cavalry Regiment was mustered-in at Riley and the
Union Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
reached the fort. Brevet Major General George A. Custer arrived in December to take charge of the new regiment.
The following spring, Custer and the 7th left Fort Riley to participate in a campaign on the high plains of western Kansas and eastern
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
The campaign proved inconclusive but resulted in Custer's court martial and suspension from the Army for one year—in part—for returning to Fort Riley to see his wife without permission.
As the line of settlement extended westward each spring, the fort lost some of its importance. Larger concentrations of troops were stationed at Forts Larned and
HaysFort Hays was an important frontier outpost of the United States Army located in Hays, Kansas between 1865 and 1889. Fort Hays was the home of several well-known Indian wars regiments including the Seventh U.S. Cavalry, the Fifth U.S. Infantry, and the Tenth U.S. Cavalry, whose black troopers were...
, where they spent the summer months on patrol and wintered in garrison.
Between 1869 and 1871, a school of light artillery was conducted at Fort Riley by the 4th Artillery Battery. Instruction was of a purely practical nature.
Regular classes were not conducted and critiques were delivered during or following the exercise. This short-lived school closed in March 1871 as the War Department imposed economy measures which included cutting a private's monthly pay from $12 to $9.
During the next decade, various regiments of the infantry and cavalry were garrisoned at Riley. The spring and summer months usually witnessed a skeletal complement at the fort while the remainder of the troops were sent to Forts Hays,
WallaceFort Wallace was a US Cavalry fort built in Wallace County, Kansas to help defend settlers against Cheyenne and Sioux raids. All that remains today is the cemetery, but for a period of over a decade Fort Wallace was one of the most important military outposts on the frontier.-External links:* * *...
, and Dodge in western Kansas.
With the approach of winter, these troops returned to Riley. Regiments serving here during this time included the 5th, 6th, and 9th Cavalry and the 16th Infantry Regiment.
The lessening of hostilities with the Indian tribes of the Great Plains resulted in the closing of many frontier forts. Riley escaped this fate when Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan recommended in his 1884 annual report to Congress to make the fort "Cavalry Headquarters of the Army."
Fort Riley was also used by state militia units for encampments and training exercises. The first such maneuver occurred in the fall of 1902 with subsequent ones held in 1903, 1904, 1906–1908 and 1911. These exercises gave added importance to the fort as a training facility and provided reserve units a valuable opportunity for sharpening their tactical skills.
Buffalo Soldiers
The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments—the famed "Buffalo Soldiers" so called by the indigenous peoples for the similarity to the short curly haired buffalo that roamed the plains—have been stationed at Fort Riley several times during their history. Shortly after their formation in 1866, the 9th Cavalry passed through here enroute to permanent stations in the southwest. They returned during the early 1880s and the early part of this century before being permanently assigned as troop cadre for the Cavalry School during the 1920 and 30s.
The 10th Cavalry was stationed here in 1868 and 1913.
On the eve of World War II, the 9th and 10th Cavalries became part of the Second Cavalry Division which was briefly stationed here.
The following two decades have been described as the golden age of the cavalry. Certainly it was in terms of refining the relationship between horse and rider. Army horsemen and the training they received at the
United States Army Cavalry SchoolThe United States Army Cavalry School was part of a series of training programs and centers for its horse mounted troops or cavalry branch.-History:...
made them among the finest mounted soldiers in the world and the School's reputation ranked with the French and Italian Cavalry Schools. Horse shows, hunts, and polo matches - long popular events on Army post - were a natural outgrowth of cavalry training.
The Cavalry School Hunt was officially organized in 1921 and provided a colorful spectacle on Sunday mornings. These activities gave rise to the perception of a special quality of life at Fort Riley that came to be known as the "Life of Riley." The technological advances demonstrated on the battlefields of Europe and World War I - most notable the tank and machine gun - raised questions in the inter-war years over the future of cavalry. By the late 1920s, the War Department directed development of a tank force by the Army. This was followed by activation of the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mech) at Fort Knox in the fall of 1936 to make-up the 2nd Regiment of this brigade.
In October 1938, the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mech) marched from Fort Knox to Riley and took part in large-scale combine maneuvers of horse and mechanized units. These exercises helped prove the effectiveness of mechanical doctrine.
World War I
America's entry into World War I resulted in many changes at Fort Riley. Facilities were greatly expanded, and a
cantonmentA cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
named
Camp FunstonCamp Funston is located on Fort Riley, and is located southwest of Manhattan, Kansas. The camp was named for Brigadier General Frederick Funston . Camp Funston was one of sixteen Divisional Cantonment Training Camps established at the outbreak of World War I...
was built five miles (8 km) east of the permanent post during the summer and fall of 1917. This training site was one of 16 across the country and could accommodate from 30,000 to 50,000 men.
The first division to train at Camp Funston, the 89th, sailed for France in the spring of 1918. The 10th Division also received training at Funston but the armistice came before the unit was sent overseas.
The camp was commanded by Maj. Gen.
Leonard WoodLeonard Wood was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba and Governor General of the Philippines. Early in his military career, he received the Medal of Honor. Wood also holds officer service #2 in the Regular Army...
. A Military Officers Training Camp was established in the Camp Whitside area to train doctors and other medical personnel.
Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, beckoned to a world made safe for democracy but also one that heralded a new day for the horse cavalry. The War Department directed service schools be created for all arms of service.
As a result, in 1919, the Mounted Service School as it was known since 1907 and which had ceased to function during the war, was redesignated as the
United States Army Cavalry SchoolThe United States Army Cavalry School was part of a series of training programs and centers for its horse mounted troops or cavalry branch.-History:...
. The change was sudden and abrupt.
The new school met the need for courses both broader in scope and more general in character
World War II
Gathering war clouds in Europe and Asia during the late 1930s caused some military planners to prepare for possible U. S. involvement. This led to several important developments at Fort Riley. The first was the rebuilding of Camp Funston and the stationing of the 2nd Cavalry Division there in December 1940. Barracks were built in the area known as Republican Flats and renamed Camp Forsyth. In addition, 32,000 acres (129 km²) were added to the post for training purposes. These efforts were brought into sharp focus with America’s entry into World War II.
Over the next four years, approximately 125,000 soldiers were trained at these facilities. Notable trainees included heavyweight boxing champion,
Joe LouisJoseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
, and motion picture stars such as
Mickey RooneyMickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
. The post also received a presidential visit by Franklin Roosevelt on Easter Sunday 1943.
The
9th Armored DivisionThe 9th Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army in World War II. In honor of their World War II service, the 9th was officially nicknamed the "Phantom Division."-History:...
was organized here in July 1942 and after its deployment, Camp Funston was used as a German prisoner of war camp. Fort Riley had branch POW camps, a large banch Camp Phillips in
SalinaSalina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
,
and 12 smaller branch camps in Kansas and Missouri:
Council GroveCouncil Grove is a city in Morris County, Kansas, United States. It was named after an agreement between European Americans and the Osage Nation about allowing settlers' wagon trains to pass through the area and proceed to the West. Pioneers gathered at a grove of trees so that wagons could band...
,
El DoradoEl Dorado is a city situated along the Walnut River in the central part of Butler County, located in south-central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Butler County...
,
EskridgeEskridge is a city in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, United States. The population was 589 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
,
HutchinsonHutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
,
LawrenceLawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
,
NeodeshaNeodesha is a city in Wilson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,486. The name is derived from the Osage Indian word, Ni-o-sho-de, and is translated as The-Water-Is-Smoky-With-Mud.-19th century:...
,
OttawaOttawa is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the central part of Franklin County, located in east-central Kansas, 50 miles southwest of Kansas City, Mo., in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,649. It is the county seat and most populous...
,
PeabodyPeabody is a city in Marion County, Kansas, United States. It is named after F.H. Peabody, of Boston, former vice-president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Peabody is well known in the region for its Independence Day Celebration on July 4, and its historic 1880's downtown main street...
, Wadsworth,
Grand PassGrand Pass is a village in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 53 at the 2000 census.-History:In 1943, German and Italian prisoners of World War II were brought to Missouri and other Midwest states as a means of solving the labor shortage caused by American men serving in the...
,
LexingtonLexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,453 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies about 40 miles east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
,
LibertyLiberty is a city in Clay County, Missouri and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. At the 2007 population estimate, the city population was 29,993...
.
The arrival of victory in Europe and Japan during the spring and summer of 1945, were joyous occasions. But they also spelled new realities and directions for the Army and Fort Riley.
Korean War
In the aftermath of World War II, the fort experienced a period of transition. The Cavalry School ceased operation in November 1946 and the last tactical horse unit inactivated the following March. Replacing the Cavalry School was the Ground General School, which trained newly commissioned officers in basic military subjects. An officer’s candidate course was conducted along with training officers and enlisted men in intelligence techniques and methods. 10th Infantry Division
10th Mountain DivisionThe 10th Mountain Division is a light infantry division of the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. It is a subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and the only division-sized element of the U.S. Army to specialize in fighting under harsh terrain and weather conditions...
Activated 1 July 1948 at Fort Riley, Kansas. The sixteen-week basic military program conducted by this division prepared soldiers for infantry combat and duty with other infantry units.
The invasion of South Korea by North Korean forces in June 1950, once again brought attention to Fort Riley as an important training facility. Over the next few years, recruits from all over the United States came to Fort Riley and received basic training.
The 37th Infantry Division, made up of units from the Ohio National Guard, was also stationed here during the conflict. While they were not sent overseas, their presence was a continuing reinforcement of the fort’s importance as a training post.
Cold War
The uneasy truce that settled on the Korean peninsula after 1953 was indicative of a cold war that had come to characterize relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. This would have an impact on Fort Riley.
In 1955, the fort’s utilization changed from training and educational center to that of being the home base for a major infantry division. In that year, the 10th Division rotated to Germany as part of “Operation Gyroscope” and was replaced by the 1st Infantry Division. Elements of the Big Red One began arriving in July 1955 and over the next five months the remaining units arrived. They initially occupied barracks located in Camp Funston.
The influx of troops and dependents placed new demands on the fort’s infrastructure. Work began on Custer Hill where new quarters, barracks and work areas were constructed. A new hospital, named in honor of Major General B. J. D. Irwin, was constructed to provide medical care.
In the decade following, 1st Infantry Division units trained to respond to any threat that might arise in Europe or other parts of the world. Construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and Cuban Missile Crisis the following year witnessed heightened alert for soldiers stationed at Fort Riley.
An additional 50,000 acres (200 km²) were also acquired in 1966, which enabled the Army to have an adequate training area for the division’s two brigades.
Vietnam
Increased guerrilla insurgency in South Vietnam during the mid-1960s, led to the deployment of the 1st Infantry Division to Southeast Asia. The leading element, the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, left in July 1965 with the Division Headquarters arriving in South Vietnam in September. During this same year, a provisional basic combat training brigade was organized at Fort Riley and in February 1966, the
9th Infantry DivisionThe 9th Infantry Division was created as the 9th Division during World War I, but never deployed overseas. Later, the division was an important unit of the United States Army in World War II and the Vietnam War...
was reactivated and followed the 1st Infantry Division into combat.
Fort Riley’s use as a divisional post was maintained with the arrival of the 24th Infantry Division. The division remained in Germany until September 1968 when it redeployed two brigades to Fort Riley as part of the REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany) program. One brigade was maintained in Germany.
Following nearly five years of combat in Vietnam, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley in April 1970 and assumed the NATO commitment. The division’s 3rd Brigade was stationed in West Germany. During the 1970s and the 1980s, 1st Infantry Division soldiers were periodically deployed on REFORGER exercises.
Reserve Officer Training Corps summer camps were also held at the fort, which permitted troops to demonstrate and teach their skills to aspiring second lieutenants. The fort also hosted the model U. S. Army Correctional Brigade, housed in Camp Funston, and the 3rd ROTC Region Headquarters until their inactivation in 1992.
The Gulf War
In August 1990, Iraq invaded its neighbor, Kuwait. The resulting international outcry led to the largest U. S. troop build-up and deployment overseas since the Vietnam War. In the fall of that year, Fort Riley was notified to begin mobilization of troops and equipment for deployment to the Persian Gulf. Between November 1990 and January 1991, men and equipment were deployed overseas.
In addition to the 1st Infantry Division, twenty-seven non-divisional units were deployed and twenty-four reserve components were mobilized. This amounted to 15,180 soldiers being sent overseas via 115 aircraft. Over 2,000 railcars transported 3,000 short tons of equipment which were then shipped to theater on eighteen vessels.
Once in theater, these soldiers and equipment were readied for combat. This commenced in late February 1991 and over the course of the ‘hundred hours’ combat of Operation Desert Storm, these soldiers carried out their orders and executed their missions that resulted in the crushing of Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guards. Later that spring, soldiers returned to Fort Riley.
The 1990s and beyond
Following Operation Desert Storm, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley. But the winds of change were once again blowing across the Army and affected the post. The Cold War of the past four decades was being replaced by new realities in Eastern Europe with the crumbling of the Iron Curtain. Budget cuts and revised strategic thinking resulted in troop cutbacks.
In the spring of 1995, headquarters of the 1st Infantry Division were transferred from Fort Riley to Germany. A brigade of the Big Red One remained at the post along with a brigade of the 1st Armored Division and the 937th Engineer Group.
On June 5, 1999, Fort Riley once again became a Division Headquarters with the reactivation of the 24th Infantry Division (Mech). The 24th Infantry Division (Mech) is the Headquarters for three enhanced Separate Brigades (eSBs) of the Army National Guard. Under the integrated Active Component/Reserve Component concept, the 24th Infantry Division (Mech) consists of an active component headquarters at Fort Riley and three enhanced Separate Brigades: 30th Heavy Separate Brigade at Clinton, North Carolina, 218th Heavy Separate Brigade at Columbia, South Carolina, and the 48th Separate Infantry Brigade in Macon, Georgia. These units are on eight-year training cycles that culminate in a National Training Center rotation. They also backfill active duty units for Major Theater War contingencies and provide units for Stabilization Force rotations in Bosnia.
Soldiers from Fort Riley continue to be deployed to areas in all corners of the world. From southwest Asia to the Caribbean and the Balkans, Fort Riley soldiers have been engaged in numerous peacekeeping and nation-building missions. They continue to hone their skills by periodic deployments to the National Training Center located at Fort Irwin, California and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
On June 1, 2006, Fort Riley began training Military Transition Teams, or MiTTs. These 10-15 man teams from across the Army, Navy and Air Force train at Fort Riley's Camp Funston for 60 days. Transition Team training is focused training preparing teams to train, mentor and advise Iraqi and Afghan security forces. Training is based on core competencies—combat skills, force protection, team support processes, technical and tactical training, adviser skills, counter insurgency operations and understanding the culture.
Return of the 1st Infantry Division
On August 1, 2006, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley and replaced the 24th Infantry Division as the post's garrison formation.
In October 2006, the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, assumed command and control of the
Military Transition TeamA Military Transition Team, or Transition Team, is a 10-15 soldier team that and trains local forces. The term has been used in the context of the "War on Terror" to design groups training in particular the Iraqi Security Forces, Afghan Army and other Afghan security forces.- Mission :The primary...
training mission. The entire division took the lead on this mission for the military.
Irwin Army Community Hospital
A year after the post was established in 1853, a temporary hospital was constructed near the present day Post/Cavalry Museum and Patton Hall on the main post. A permanent hospital, which is now the Post/Cavalry Museum, was built in 1855 with a clock tower added in 1890. The second hospital replaced the 1855 hospital in 1888 and is now Post Headquarters. A third hospital was built in 1941 at Camp Whitside and named Cantonment Hospital, later Station Hospital. The second hospital remained as an annex until 1957. The current and fourth hospital was dedicated in 1958. The fourth and current hospital was named after
Brigadier General Bernard John Dowling IrwinBernard John Dowling Irwin was an assistant army surgeon during the Apache Wars and the first Medal of Honor recipient...
"The Fighting Doctor" who won the
Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for distinguished gallantry in action during an engagement with the Chiricahua Indians near Apache Pass Arizona in February 1861. A new hospital and clinic is soon to be constructed.
Fort Riley Museums
- U.S. Cavalry Museum
-History:The building was built in 1855, originally to serve as the base hospital. In 1890, it became the Cavalry School Administration Building until 1957 when it was repurposed as the Fort Riley Historical Museum. It was renamed the U.S. Cavalry museum in 1962. -Exhibits:The museum covers...
- housed in the building used as headquarters by George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
, the museum houses exhibits about the U.S. Cavalry from the Revolutionary War to 1950
- 1st Infantry Division Museum
The 1st Infantry Division Museum is a museum located on Fort Riley in Kansas, USA.-Exhibits:The museum covers this history of the 1st Infantry Division from World War I to the present day.-Visitor restrictions:...
- exhibits relating to the 1st Infantry Division from 1917 to the present and the United States ConstabularyThe United States Constabulary was a United States Army military Constabulary force. From 1946 to 1952, in the aftermath of World War II, it acted as an occupation and security force in the U.S...
forces that served in Germany immediately following World War II
- Custer Home
The Custer Home is a historic house museum located on Fort Riley in Kansas, USA. Originally thought to have been the home of George Armstrong Custer, later research showed he actually lived nearby, in a building which has not been preserved...
, 24 Sheridan Avenue - Historic house museum
- First Territorial Capitol of Kansas
The First Territorial Capitol of Kansas is the sole remaining building in Pawnee, Kansas. The town served as the capital city of the Kansas Territory for five days before it was moved to present day Fairway, Kansas and the town became part of Fort Riley...
- History of Territorial Kansas
- Atomic Cannon, on the hills overlooking Marshall Airfield (accessible without passing through Fort Riley's security perimeter).
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