FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Every Soldier has read and quoted the Soldier's Creed. "I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself." Over the past year, Soldiers of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) took those words and put them to work.
One year after the first two 10th Mountain Division Marksmanship Award streamers (under the new standards) were presented to D Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, and C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, Maj. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, Fort Drum and 10th Mountain Division (LI) commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney R. "Ray" Lewis, senior enlisted adviser, presented the 10th Mountain Division Marksmanship Award streamer and the division's Physical Fitness streamer to several units within 1st Brigade Combat Team during an awards ceremony Thursday on post.
Townsend and Lewis presented 10th Mountain Division Marksmanship streamers to C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment; D Company, 10th Brigade Support Battalion; B and D companies, 7th Brigade Engineer Battalion; and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment.
"Two years ago I said that no division in the United States Army would outshoot the 10th Mountain Division," Townsend said. "We would be the most competent and confident marksmen in any division in the United States Army. We set our division standard at sharpshooter and not marksman. Those blue marksmanship streamers now are on a lot of guidons in this brigade. Recognize your excellence in marksmanship, in war-fighting, and readiness to kill the enemy. I'm proud of you for that."
Additionally, they presented A Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment; C Troop, 3-71 Cavalry; and C Company, 7th Brigade Engineer Battalion with the 10th Mountain Division's Physical Fitness streamer. C Troop, 3-71 Cavalry became the first unit to re-earn the marksmanship streamer. The troop earned the physical fitness streamer Dec. 13, 2013, becoming the second unit in the division to do so.
"Two years ago when I took command of this division, I laid out a couple goal posts. One of them is that we would be the toughest division in the United States Army. To reward excellence, physical and mental toughness, I came up with this physical fitness streamer," Townsend told the Soldiers of 1st Brigade Combat Team.
"You all are getting after it in this brigade. It's obvious. It's apparent. Keep after it," he added.
Watching his Soldiers strive for excellence and earn the marksmanship streamer for the second year in a row, Capt. Curt Belohlavek, commander of C Troop, 3-71 Cavalry, said he feels a sense of pride when he reflects on what his Soldiers have been able to achieve.
"We have a drive to be the best at everything we do -- whether it's (physical fitness), whether it's marksmanship -- to overcome that challenge," he said. "We have a lot of Soldiers who were here when they earned it the first time.
"We've had our fair share of challenges. The guidons have traditionally been used to rally behind the troop or organization, so something like the streamer is a … great symbol for the guys to rally behind and to be successful," Belohlavek explained.
Earning a streamer isn't in the forefront of Soldiers' minds when they are conducting daily physical training or qualifying with their weapons at the range.
However, there is a constant friendly competition between the Soldiers to be the best -- run faster, shoot better, or do more pushups and sit-ups.
But everyone has an off day and doesn't do as well as he or she would have liked. Being able to bounce back and never quit is the type of resilience these Soldiers have shown in order to achieve these streamers.
Although earning the marksmanship and physical fitness streamers is a unit goal, it requires the efforts of every Soldier on an individual basis honing their skills to reach the finish line. Soldiers look to one another for encouragement and motivation to be the best that they can be.
"I feel proud, both as a leader and as Soldier. As a leader, you always want your Soldiers to be better than you and to achieve that standard," said Staff Sgt. Arturo Barajas, a squad leader with C Troop, 3-71 Cavalry. "As a Soldier, it makes me feel confident that if we did (deploy) and need our marksmanship skills, it makes me feel confident that we're going to get home safely."
Unlike most military awards, these awards have an expiration date. Streamers expire 12 months from the date they are physically awarded to the unit.
In order to maintain the streamers, units must maintain their readiness and keep their skills honed.
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