USF-I STB Spur Ride

VICTORY BASE COMPLEX, BAGHDAD -- Sixty-three Soldiers were mentally and physically pushed to their limits during a 16-hour event as they attempted earn their golden spurs. On Sunday, United States Forces-Iraq Special Troops Battalion held a "Spur Ride" on Victory Base Complex to provide Soldiers an opportunity to participate in the cavalry tradition. The Soldiers were challenged through different stations such as pushing an up armored humvee, clearing rooms in the Victory over America palace and completing an obstacle course that finished with a low crawl under barbed wire in the mud. Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Livengood, USF-I STB, command sergeant major, said he wanted to challenge the Soldiers in a way that would show them what they are really capable of when they work together. "They had no idea that they were going to accomplish what they did today, yet they persevered; they pushed through the pain and they helped each other out. In the end, this is all about team work," he said. First Sergeant Barry Ellis from Company C, USF-I STB, was part of the cadre for the ride. He said, the highlight was witnessing the camaraderie. "The best part was seeing individuals come and grow together in a matter of hours to be a team," he said. "Going through this, you might not make it, but having someone there to push you through to the end really makes the difference." Specialist Eric Johnson from San Francisco, Calif. with 382nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, took the challenge put out by his commander and participated in the event. "It was something that he had done in the past, and it is something that we should do," Johnson said. "So I accepted the challenge and I wasn't going to let him down." Johnson was surprised by how difficult the challenge actually was, he didn't think it was going to be that tough. "There were times in there I felt like giving up," he said. "When half of my team went down it wasreally tough for me to get through." He went on to explain that earning his spurs with his team means a lot to him. "I have so much respect for the guys that made it though with me on my team," he said. "We are all brothers." In the end, 42 Soldiers came together, passed the test and were accepted into the brotherhood of cavalrymen, earning their spurs. "