Army Suspends 1st Infantry Division Commander Amid Investigation

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Maj. Gen. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr. Army photo
Maj. Gen. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr. Army photo

The U.S. Army has suspended the commander of the 1st Infantry Division amid an investigation into the general, a spokesman said.

Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby "has been suspended from duties as commander of 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Riley, Kansas," Col. Patrick Seiber, a spokesman for the service at the Pentagon, said in a statement Friday.

"He is currently the subject of an official investigation and we cannot comment further at this time," Seiber added.

When reached by telephone, Seiber said he didn't have any details regarding the nature of the investigation. He said he wasn't aware who was placed in charge of the division, known as the Big Red One, in place of Grigsby.

The incident marks the second time in recent months news broke that an Army two-star general was removed from his duties. In July, USA Today reported Army Maj. Gen. David Haight was fired from his job running operations and plans at U.S. European Command earlier this year after a report surfaced that he led a double life as a "swinger."

According to Grigsby's official biography, he's a married father of five children and grandfather of two. He's a decorated soldier with multiple deployments abroad and commanded troops in such countries as Iraq and Jordan. He also served as special assistant to the deputy chief of staff for operations (G-3/5/7) at the Pentagon.

Grigsby has received multiple awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal (with one Oak Leaf Cluster), the Legion of Merit (with five Oak Leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star Medal (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), and the Meritorious Service Medal (with four Oak Leaf Clusters).

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.

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