Banners depicting majorconflicts the 4th Infantry Division has participated in hang from the divisionheadquarters’ third floor balcony during the division’s centennial celebration Dec. 16, 2016. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson)
By Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
Commanding General Maj. Gen. Ryan F. Gonsalves and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Crosby hosted a 4th Infantry Division Centennial Celebration at the division headquarters Dec. 16, 2016.
Maj. Gen. Ryan F. Gonsalves, commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, shares highlights of the division’s history during a centennial celebration at the division headquarters Dec. 16, 2016. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson)
The ceremony, led by the 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson command team, signified the start of a yearlong celebration in honor of the “Iron Horse” Division’s 100 years of service in defense of the nation. The division commemorated its 99th anniversary Dec. 10, 2016, the day Maj. Gen. George Cameron assumed command of the unit in 1917.
“Over the course of the next calendar year, we will showcase and celebrate our legacy on the parade fields at Fort Carson to our prominent battlegrounds in Europe,” Gonsalves said. “Whether it’s participation in local community events, rededicating monuments in France, historical seminars or hosting our 4th Infantry Division Association Reunion in conjunction with our annual Iron Horse Week next August, the ‘Ivy’ Division’s heritage will be evident and our veterans will be proud.”
Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, former 4th Infantry Division commanding general, serves as the guest speaker during the 4th Infantry Division centennial celebration at the division headquarters Dec. 16, 2016. Anderson currently serves as deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, Headquarters Department of the Army. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson)
Gonsalves said that as a division, “we are both made by our history and makers of history. Those past veterans entrusted us with our heritage the day we donned the Ivy patch, but it’s a legacy that must be continually earned and perfected.”
Former 4th Inf. Div. commanding general, Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7, Headquarters Department of the Army, was the guest speaker during the ceremony.
“The 4th Infantry Division has served with distinction both at home and abroad over the past century,” Anderson said. “Whenever the nation called, the division was an effective combat unit while battling through a variety of intense campaigns from World Wars I and II, through Vietnam, to Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Anderson said the division has had a long and proud history over the last 100 years.
“This unit met every challenge and accomplished every mission set before it,” he said. “I can’t envision that changing anytime soon. We must look to the next hundred years and prepare for the fights and the trials yet to come, so that we can remember your accomplishments a century from now just like those from the past who we celebrate today.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Crosby, right, command sergeant major, 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson, and Staff Sgt. Michael Spears unveil the centennial logo during a celebration Dec. 16, 2016, at the division headquarters. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson)
Crosby unveiled the new logo and banners depicting division Soldiers in period uniforms were unfurled from the headquarter’s third floor balcony, showcasing the legacy of the 4th Inf. Div. as it enters its 100th year of “Steadfast and Loyal” service.
The event was attended by Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, Colorado Springs Mayor John W. Suthers, Retired Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., Retired Lt. Gen. Ed G. Anderson, members of the 4th Infantry Division Association, local retired military officers and enlisted, and other distinguished guests.