1-7 Field Artillery

09/26/2025

🎖️📣 Save the Date! 📣🎖️

The 1st Infantry Division Artillery St. Barbara’s Ball is right around the corner!

📅 11 December 2025
📍 Hilton Garden Inn – Manhattan, KS

Cocktail Hour: 5:00 PM
Receiving Line: 6:00 PM

🎟️ Scan the QR code on the flyer to grab your tickets today!

Attire:
• Military: ASU, AGSU, or Mess Dress Uniform
• Civilian: Formal Attire

Join us for a night of tradition, camaraderie, and celebration as we honor St. Barbara and our proud Artillery heritage.

09/19/2025

08/14/2025

Good Evening 1-7 FA friends and family!

This morning we had the distinct pleasure to send off Staff Sergeant Mellish as he retires from the Army.

SSG Mellish has been serving the 1-7 family for many years now and has most recently served as our Training Room NCO. While we will miss him and the hard work he has done for our Battalion, we are overjoyed for his many years of service and wish him all the best in his retirement from the Army!

Join us in congratulating SSG Mellish on his long and successful career in the Army!

06/29/2025

Good evening 1-7 FA friends and family!

This past week our Battalion was busy competing in various competitions during the 1st Infantry Division Victory Week!

Our soldiers competed in several sports to include Basketball, Softball, Archery, Combatives, and more! All our participants gave their very best effort and showed the rest of the Division our "Never Broken" spirit!

Thank you to everyone who came out to watch the events and support our soldiers. Now they get to take advantage of some very well-deserved Opportunity Leave before we hit the ground running with more training and qualifications!

Never Broken!

06/26/2025

Good Evening 1-7 FA friends and family!

This morning we held the Change of Command ceremony for Arsenal Battery between the outgoing commander, Captain Robert Skevington and Arsenal Battery's new commander, Captain Jacob Angevine.

CPT Skevington served as Arsenal Battery's commander for the past 13 months and successfully lead his battery through one NTC Rotation as the training unit, one NTC Rotation as Opposition Forces, and countless section, platoon, and battery level live fires and artillery tables. He will surely be missed as he continues his Army Career at Fort Knox, KY and we wish him all the best.

CPT Angevine previously served as the Battalion Fire Support Officer for 2-70 Armor and as the Battalion Logistics Officer, both roles in which he excelled. We are very excited to see what new heights Arsenal Battery can reach under his leadership and we are certain his new battery is thrilled to welcome him into this new role.

Congratulations to CPT Robert Skevington and CPT Jacob Angevine!

06/15/2025

Good evening 1-7 FA friends and family!

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Family Day event this past Friday! We could not have done this without you and we are truly grateful for the support you show to this Battalion and our soldiers.

We are so happy we could show you all just a slice of what it is we do day in and day out, and to give you the opportunity to do the best part of our job... firing the Howitzers!!!

Thank you again for all your love and support and have a great rest of your weekend!

06/12/2025

Good afternoon 1-7 friends and family!

We are very excited about our Family Day event tomorrow and are thrilled to see so much interest in the event! We just have a few more notes for all attending.

For family day, please be advised the weather will be warm so we ask everyone to please stay hydrated! We will be providing water, but if you have a preferred *non-alcoholic* beverage please bring it in a personal cooler.

There will be minimal seating during family day, so we encourage everyone to bring personal lawn chairs and umbrellas for shade if you so choose.

We cannot thank everyone enough for their support and we can't wait to see you all tomorrow!

06/11/2025

Good morning 1-7 FA friends and family!

We are excited to announce that the First Lightning Battalion will be hosting a Family Day event this Friday June 13th, from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

If you would like to attend the event, we have provided a list Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below:

Q: Where do I go? Where do I park?
A: We will meet up and park at the Custer Hill Parade Field parking lot at 7:45 AM. This is at the corner of Normandy Drive and Graves Street on Fort Riley.

Q: Is Transportation provided?
A: Yes, we will have buses provided to take you and your family to the event!

Q: Is there food provided?
A: Yes, we will have sandwiches, chips, water, and CAKE!

Q: What is the Timeline for the event?
A: The schedule of events is as follows:
8:00 AM – Buses leave for the event
9:00 AM – Welcome Brief from our Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Vomastic
9:20 AM – Live Fire Demonstration
9:30 AM – Bus movement to main event site
9:45 – 10:30 AM – Opportunity to see equipment, enjoy food and drinks, and spend time with service members
11:00 PM – 1:30 PM – Opportunity to fire an artillery cannon
1:45 PM - Closing Brief from LTC Vomastic
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM – Buses leave event back to Custer Hill Parade Field Parking lot

Q: What items should I bring?
A: You should bring sunscreen, bug spray, a water bottle, small snacks for children, additional ear protection for children (if desired), and walking shoes.

Q: What if I need to leave the event early?
A: We will have buses on standby during the event to take anyone back early if needed.

Q: Who do I contact if I have questions?
A: Any questions regarding the event can be directed towards the event Officer in Charge: Captain Nick Principe at 847-345-0035

We cannot wait to share just a little portion of what we do with you all and we hope to see everyone there!

05/23/2025

Good morning 1-7 FA friends and family!

Yesterday the 1st Infantry Division held an award ceremony for all our soldiers who completed the requirements for their Expert Infantry, Expert Soldier, and Expert Field Medical Badges.

Out of hundreds of participants across the Division, five of our soldiers: Specialist Heusted, 1st Lieutenant Thompson, Sergeant Djombalic, Staff Sergeant Asterberg, and Staff Sergeant McClendon, received their Expert Soldier Badges, the culmination of several weeks of studying, training, and sleepless nights.

We are truly grateful to have such incredible soldiers in our Battalion and we are proud of this outstanding achievement. We know these Expert Soldiers will be forced multipliers in our formations and be able to help mentor the next generation of Expert Soldiers.

Congratulations SPC Heusted, 1LT Thompson, SGT Djombalic, SSG Asterberg, and SSG McClendon!

05/16/2025

This afternoon 2nd Lieutenant Corrie VanNatta promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant. 1LT VanNatta has been serving as the Battalion Assistant Logistics Officer for 1-7 FA, ensuring all our soldiers have the supplies necessary to complete their training.

We are very proud of her hard work for this Battalion and cannot wait to see her continue to excel as a leader within our organization!

Congratulations 1LT Corrie VanNatta!