Major General Keith L. Ware
1915 - 1968

     Major General Ware was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1915.   He was drafted into the army in 1941, the year the United States entered World War II. In 1942, he attended Officer Candidate School (OCS) and became an infantry platoon leader at Fort Ord, California. General Ware was one of the first OCS graduates in the history of the army to become a general officer.
     In World War II, he fought the German and Italian armies in North Africa, Italy, and France. As his talent for military leadership blossomed, he was steadily promoted and given command of larger units. He never asked his men to go anywhere or do anything he was not able or willing to do himself. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor, our Nation’s highest award for bravery, by attacking and capturing a heavily defended German position in France on December 26,1944. 
     Following the war, General Ware received and excelled in some of the army’s toughest jobs. He served his country in Asia, Europe, and also back in the United States. He was also in charge of military units in South Korea and Texas.
     In March 1968, General Ware took command of the 1^st Infantry Division, the "Big Red One", that was fighting in South Vietnam. Six months later, on September 13,1968, General Ware’s helicopter was shot down by machine gun fire while he was directing his soldiers in combat against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong. His wife, Joyce, and his three children -- Keith, Pamela, and John -- all grieved the General’s loss.
     Through his life, General Ware was a firm believer that education was important. He knew that hard work and a good education was needed to succeed in this world. General Ware did not have the opportunity to go to college until he joined the Army. He used his time well and received college degrees from Columbia University in New York and Georgetown University in Washington D.C. General Ware also excelled in his military education and graduated from both the Armed Forces Staff College and the National War College.
     Everyone who knew General Ware respected him because of his high morals and dedication to our country. His contributions to the 1^st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, and our nation are remembered at the elementary school and parade field named in his honor and in the monument dedicated to his memory which is located in front of the Installation Headquarters.
     General Keith L. Ware was one of the United States Army’s highest decorated and most honored soldiers. Those who knew and served with him in times of peace and war will long remember him.