Note: Complete 1420 KJCK Audio follows the story.
Major General Joseph M. Martin, 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley Commanding General, spoke exclusively with 1420 KJCK Tuesday morning, live from Iraq.
Maj. Gen. Martin and the 1st Infantry Division assumed command of the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command – Operation Inherent Resolve from the 101st Airborne Division in November.
“The Iraqi security forces are in the midst of a long campaign to liberate all the cities within Iraq and right now we’re in Mosul, and Mosul’s a tough fight; just to give you perspective of just how tough this fight is – they’ve had two years to prepare their defense there, [and] Mosul has 1.5 million citizens, that’s 245,000 buildings – imagine a city that size and the daunting task of having to liberate that city from an enemy that’s been preparing for two years for your arrival – the good news is, the Iraqis continue to make progress each and every day,” said MG Martin.
Martin assumed command of the First Infantry Division on October 18th in an Assumption of Command Ceremony that doubled as a deployment ceremony. Thousands of miles from Fort Riley, Martin said he’s still checking in on the community. “I’ve been monitoring the activities from a distance, I saw what a great tree lighting ceremony we had and all the different activities we had to support the families and support the families that may not have the means to celebrate, there’s many different programs at Fort Riley to help those families so that they can have a great Christmas holiday like they deserve.”
The Fighting First are in the midst of celebrating 100 years as a Division; the official 100th anniversary celebrations are set to take place Summer 2017. Community members can look forward to seeing the Commanding General and deployed 1st Infantry Division troops in attendance.
“It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to talk about the exact end date but I can tell you that when we all celebrate the 100th anniversary of this great Division next summer, we’ll all be back home to do that together,” said Martin.
Maj. General Martin said that deployments during the Holiday season can be difficult for both the soldiers and the families that are left behind – but the support from families and the community doesn’t go unnoticed.
“From the soldiers of the Big Red One, I would like to extend a Happy Holiday season to everybody [back there]; knowing that we’re doing what we came in the Army to do, and we’re going to continue to do this mission, but we will never forget what you do for us by supporting us from back there,” said Martin.