The Regional Training campus on Fort Riley from this day forward will be known as the Seitz Regional Training Campus, named after the late LTG (R) Richard J. Seitz.

The memorialization ceremony was held Wednesday morning at the front entrance to the training campus with a number of Seitz’s family members on hand to witness the unveiling of the Horse Jump with the familiar Seitz name in bright yellow letters.

“I don’t think it’s quite sunk into all of us kids so we are still odd, and really cannot express how touched we are that Fort Riley would do this to remember our dad,” said Patricia Seitz. “Because we thought of him as incredible, I mean I cannot describe what it was like to have him for a father. I mean it was very much of an authoritarian figure when you were growing up and you needed that, but as an adult to get to know him as a friend, they just don’t make them like that.”

Seitz passed away June 8th, 2013.

During his 35-year military career, Seitz played a crucial role as a leader during some of our country’s most turbulent times. In 1939 he accepted a commission as a second lieutenant and attended jump-school-only the sixth class the Army had ever held-and thus became one of the Army’s first paratroopers.

At age 25 he was pinned on major….and wias given command of the 2nd Battalion of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regimental Combat Team, and shortlyafter, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and, as the Army’s youngest battalion commander led his unit throughout its historic combat operations in Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge.

Seitz settled in Junction City after his retirement, and was active with local and area organizations.