Helmick keynote speaker at Infantry Ball

[Hannibal]

By SPC. IAN BOUDREAU/Turret Staff Writer

The Fort Knox chapter of the National Infantry Association will hold its second Infantry Ball Jan. 28 at the Leaders Club, and Brig. Gen. Frank Helmick, the senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, will be the event’s keynote speaker.

“He brings with him a vast array of experience and knowledge,” said Lt. Col. Tim Quillin, the commander of Fort Knox’s 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment. “He’ll be speaking to the Fort Knox community at this event about how the U.S. Army and combined-arms forces are fighting the global war on terror.”

Helmick, a 1976 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has served as an infantry leader from platoon to brigade levels, including assignments as the commander of the Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning, Ga., as the assistant division commander for maneuver for the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan., and as the assistant division commander for operations with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, S.C., leading the division in combat in Iraq.

“I know a lot of the guys here are really looking forward to going (to the ball),” said Lt. Col. Roger Shuck, the commander of 2/46 Infantry. His unit is hosting the event which, he stressed, is open to the entire Fort Knox community.

The Infantry Ball will feature music and “infantry traditions,” said 1st Lt. Hank Hamblin, the president of the Fort Knox chapter of the National Infantry Association. The NIA will also be presenting several awards to infantrymen and friends of the infantry, he said.

“We’re also going to honor fallen comrades and wounded Soldiers of this current war,” said Quillen.

“It’s going to be a premier event showcasing the infantry community at Fort Knox,” Quillin said. “It’ll be a good chance for the spouses to get out, let their hair down a little bit, and have some fun.”

Helmick will also host an Officer Professional Development session Jan. 27 at Olive Theater, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. All Fort Knox officers and noncommissioned officers are invited to attend.

Tickets for the Infantry Ball can be purchased by contacting Hamblin at 624-6978. Organizers have asked those who plan to attend to RSVP by Jan. 20.