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News | Dec. 20, 2022

1st ID Bids Farewell to the Division’s Ready Reserve Command Sergeant Major

FORT RILEY, Kan.  –  

The 1st Infantry Division held a Victory with Honors Ceremony on December 9, 2022 in the division’s headquarters building.

The event, attended by several command teams within the Big Red One, was held to honor and say farewell to Command Sgt. Maj. Albert A. Serrano, the Ready Reserve Command Sergeant Major of the 1st Inf. Div.

Serrano simultaneously filled the role of the command sergeant major of the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Inf. Div. He officially relinquished the responsibility of the 1st CAB sergeant major earlier in the week, where he was awarded the Honorable Order of St. Michael (Bronze) medal from the Army Aviation Association of America.

Serrano, between long emotional pauses, delivered his final speech to the audience. Self-professing to never have been a fan of the spotlight, he chose to bestow a simple lesson he has learned over his storied career.

U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Oosting and Maj. Michael Anderson off-load a Stryker combat vehicle from a 62nd Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 6, 2022. Members of America’s First Corps deployed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Guam to conduct a training exercise that enhances readiness, showcases joint interoperability and exercises distributed mission command in the Pacific. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jailene Bautista, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Oosting and Maj. Michael Anderson off-load a Stryker combat vehicle from a 62nd Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 6, 2022. Members of America’s First Corps deployed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Guam to conduct a training exercise that enhances readiness, showcases joint interoperability and exercises distributed mission command in the Pacific. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jailene Bautista, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Oosting and Maj. Michael Anderson off-load a Stryker combat vehicle from a 62nd Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 6, 2022. Members of America’s First Corps deployed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Guam to conduct a training exercise that enhances readiness, showcases joint interoperability and exercises distributed mission command in the Pacific. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jailene Bautista, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
America's First Corps enhances readiness in the Pacific
U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Oosting and Maj. Michael Anderson off-load a Stryker combat vehicle from a 62nd Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 6, 2022. Members of America’s First Corps deployed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Guam to conduct a training exercise that enhances readiness, showcases joint interoperability and exercises distributed mission command in the Pacific. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jailene Bautista, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
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Photo By: Spc. Jailene Bautista
VIRIN: 220206-A-QD764-0187

“Enjoy the journey. Oftentimes, we look too far ahead to see what’s next to us.” Serrano said, “Slow down, enjoy the ride, enjoy right now or you’ll eventually miss some of it- and regret it.”

Serrano is set to retire next month after 30 years of service to the United States Army with the ready reserve sergeant major position having been his final duty to the Army.

“[Sgt. Maj. Serrano] never wavered in his commitment to Soldiers, Families, or the mission,” said Brig. Gen. Niave F. Knell, the deputy commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley. “Sergeant Major’s constant presence and decisive action truly made a difference in the health and welfare of our Soldiers.”