Victory Honors Ceremony Welcomes New and Bids Farewell to Former Deputy Commanders and Chief of Staff

The 1st Infantry Division said goodbye to three of its Deputy Commanding Generals and it’s Chief of Staff during a Victory Honors Ceremony on the Victory Parade Field on Fort Riley Thursday.

VICTORY HONORS CEREMONY ONE 7-30 — Photo by Staff Sgt. Jerry Griffis, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs Office

During the ceremony Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division addressed his outgoing Deputy Commanding Generals, Brigadier, UK, Christopher Ghika, deputy commanding general for readiness; Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Graves, deputy commanding general for operations; Brig. Gen. Eric Wesley, deputy commanding general for support; as well as the departing Chief of Staff, Brig. Gen. Kenneth Kamper.

“Chris Ghika, Erik Wesley, Tom Graves and Ken Kamper have put their heart and souls into this Division,” said Maj. Gen. Funk. “They have been brave, responsible and on point for the nation. When duty called they did not falter. Chris, Tom and Ken were a vital part of the team that helped the Iraqi forces begin to take the fight to ISIL. Recapturing over 1,000 square miles of territory and building a coalition that trained over 3,500 Iraqi security forces, and that number has actually grown to over actually 10,000 in one of the most complex operating environments I have ever seen.”

Also during the ceremony Funk welcomed in the new Deputy Commanding General for Maneuver, Brig. Gen. John Kolasheski and welcomed Col. Peter Minalga as the new Chief of Staff.