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Stare Master
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Last Login: Today @ 2:29 PM
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On June 27th I will have the honor of representing the 509th PIA at the change of command for the 1-509th at Ft. Polk. If I didn't need a regular job I would do the Association work full time.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS
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Seasoned Vet
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Congratulations . . . your brothers are proud of you and your accomplishments. It is a trooper characteristic to do it all and do it well.
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Jumpmaster
 
Group: Past PNET Supporter
Last Login: 8/23/2008 3:24 PM
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| Call me up Barry when you get here. Beers on me..If you need a place to stay, let me know. i got ya covered
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Stare Master
Group: Community Supporter
Last Login: Today @ 2:29 PM
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King assumes command of 1/509th Infantry as Griffith leaves for Hawaii
By ROSANA WEAVER/Staff Writer
Family, friends and local dignitaries gathered for a change of command ceremony Monday morning at Fort Polk's Honor Field for the 1st Battalion Airborne 509th Infantry. The colors and command of the 1/509th Infantry were passed from Lt. Col. Daniel C. Griffith to Lt. Col. John W. King, II.
The 509th, known as Geronimo, is one of the Army's most elite parachute infantry units, highly trained in all levels of combat. The 509th also conducts combat operations at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), where its full-time mission is portraying the enemy, or OpFor, for all those who train at the JRTC at Fort Polk.
Griffith, a North Carolina native, graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration. He entered Active Duty in 1981 and was commissioned under the Early Commissioning Program in 1984 as a Second Lieutenant. He has been reassigned to serve as the Operations Officer (J3) for Headquarters, Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii.
During Monday's ceremony, Griffith gave a final farewell to the soldiers of the 1/509th Infantry, telling them, "you'll always be in my heart, on my mind, and I'll always be one of your greatest fans." He also thanked the Leesville and Fort Polk communities for supporting his battalion and serving Geronimo soldiers, not sure "if it was out of respect or fear, but it got the job done."
Col. Michael E. Rounds, Commander of Operations Group, JRTC, noted that Griffith's soldiers "follow him with the same passion he leads them."
"While he [Griffith] will always give credit for the success of his Geronimos to his soldiers and leaders, those of us who work with him daily know that this battalion is great, because he demands the results that we see today and lives with the same standards that he expects from his soldiers," Rounds commented.
King, also a North Carolina native, received his commission in the Infantry from Campbell University and graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in 1987. He is not new to Fort Polk, as he has held Observer Controller positions at the Platoon, Company and Brigade levels previously assigned to the Operations Group of the JRTC.
"Coming back to Fort Polk since I was last here, I've noticed how much the community has grown and changed," King said. "And that's a great thing for the soldiers."
Well aware of the high standards that are held by the 1/509th Infantry, King ensured his new battalion that "I will do everything I can to continue to uphold the reputation of this airborne battalion."
The 509th has a long history of being an exemplar part of the U.S. Army, and it continues to serve at Fort Polk as the world's premier opposing force for light infantry and Special Operations Forces. Some of the many historical highlights for the 1/509th Infantry include being the first U.S. Airborne unit to deploy overseas, arriving in Land's End, England on June 10, 1942, and being the first Airborne unit to be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, on Feb. 29, 1942.
Additional highlights include the following: executing the lowest altitude mass parachute jump in history by exiting the aircraft at 143 feet in England during June 1942 rehearsals; initially awarded the "right" to wear Red Berets by Major General Sir Frederick A.M. Browning, Commander, 1st British Airborne, who made the 509th honorary "Red Devils"; performing America's first combat parachute insertion on Nov. 8, 1942 following the longest combat invasion in history of 1,600 miles from England to North Africa; conducting five combat jumps during World War II: three into North Africa, one into Italy and one into Southern France; led an amphibious invasion with Darby's Rangers at Anzio, Italy on Jan. 22, 1944, and subsequently participated in a successful Allied campaign that lasted 70 days; Paul B. Huff, a member of the 509th, was the first American Paratrooper awarded the Medal of Honor on Feb. 29, 1944 at Anzio, Italy; participation in the Battle of the Bulge, and five members of the 1/509th Infantry were selected to serve as Pathfinders for the 101st Airborne Division during the Gulf War. Their helicopter was shot down during a search and rescue mission. Two were Killed In Action and one became a Prisoner Of War.http://www.leesvilledailyleader.com/articles/2005/06/28/news/news4.txt The Battalion invited the veterans in attendance to join the formation for the Pass in Review. After Delta Troop there was an NCO and a guidon bearer with Charlie Company's guidon. Six of us fell in line and marched past the reviewing stand. Even I managed to gimp along in step. 
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS
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