Posted by Joel Mathis April 19, 2007 at 6:56 a.m.

Fort Riley soldier remembered

Here are today's headlines about Kansas military affairs:Fort Leavenworth[(KC Star) Record creates uncivil disbelief:][1] The thought that more than 60,000 black soldiers may have fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War can be hard for some people to swallow. Edwin Kennedy knows just how hard. A retired Army Lt. Col. and lecturer on the subject, Kennedy has been on the receiving end of harassing calls, mail and even sidewalk confrontations from people who think he's advancing an underhanded agenda. Kennedy, a faculty member at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, insists he's just passing on the facts. "They've grown up on stereotypes and incomplete history," says Kennedy, who'll discuss the controversial subject tonight at a Sons of the Union Veterans meeting tonight at Olathe City Hall. "A lot of people don't know the basic facts."Fort Riley[(Herald-Mail.com) Pa. soldier remembered as 'one of a kind':][2] Phones rang without pause Wednesday at McConnellsburg High School, where teachers and staff said they hope to honor a 2003 graduate who died Monday from injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated in Baghdad. Pfc. Aaron M. Genevie, who entered the U.S. Army in July 2005, was in his first deployment when his Humvee struck the IED, according to a military news release. ... An Army spokesman said friends, comrades and family will be given the opportunity to mourn at a service later this week or early next week in Fort Riley, Kan. "We do it for all the Fort Riley soldiers. We do have memorials here," said Master Sgt. Cameron Porter, who did not know when the body would be returned to the United States. [(KC Star) Wildcats worked out with Army unit now in Iraq:][3]They worked out, side-by-side, a couple of young men preparing for two entirely different journeys. Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman was gearing up for spring football. Pfc. John Harrison for staying alive. For the few hours he spent with Harrison on a frigid, icy January morning, Freeman gained a greater appreciation of how Harrison operates. "We're playing a game. They're preparing for war," Freeman said. "They could die."Harrison is a member of the First Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment from Fort Riley, Kan., that worked out with the Wildcats football team three months ago. Now, as Freeman gets ready for K-State's spring game at 6 p.m. Saturday, Harrison already has had a brush with death in Iraq. He recently took a bullet in his back in Baghdad. He was one of the lucky ones. Four members of that battalion, also known as the Black Lions, have since died, Alison Kohler, assistant community-relations officer for public affairs at Fort Riley, said Wednesday.Kansas National Guard[(AP) Kenosha soldier dies in non-combat incident:][4] A 22-year-old Army soldier from Kenosha died in a non-combat incident in Qatar, military officials said Wednesday.Staff Sgt. Robert Basham died Saturday at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, from injuries suffered in the incident that remained under investigation, said Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, a spokesman for the Wisconsin National Guard in Madison. ... Last November, he volunteered for another tour of duty and was assigned to a Kansas National Guard unit performing missions in Iraq, Donovan said. "He was a guy who really had a commitment to service. He was known for just a dedication to service." [1]: http://www.kansascity.com/145/story/74043.html [2]: http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=163611&format=html [3]: http://www.kansascity.com/159/story/75986.html [4]: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070419/GPG0101/70419003/1207/GPGnews