First Lt. Joshua Kipling, a Reno, Nev., native and support platoon leader with Company B, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion "Spartan," 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, drags a simulated casualty onto a SKED rescue stretcher w...

Spc. Corey Byrd, a Dade City, Fla., native and military intelligence systems maintainer with Company D, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion "Spartan," 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, dons his mask during a masking procedures d...

First Lt. Joshua Cotton, a chemical reconnaissance platoon leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion "Spartan," 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, receives his silver spurs for success...

Pfc. Kamran Saunders with the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion "Spartan," 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, is awarded his silver spurs for successful completion of the Spartan Spur Ride competition by Command Sgt. Maj. Roder...

FORT HOOD, Texas - Keeping with cavalry tradition, the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion "Spartan," 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Black Jack," 1st Cavalry Division conducted a Spur Ride competition here May 5-9.

More than 150 Black Jack Soldiers started initially, with only 11 earning their spurs in what, Lt. Col. Archie Herndon, Spartan commander, called a very grueling and challenging individual training competition.

Participants had to pass preliminary events, such as an Army Physical Fitness Test, weapons qualification and a written test covering the history of the battalion, before qualifying for the actual lane events, said Capt. Charles Jones, Spartan plans officer.

There were six lanes including: weapons maintenance, reacting to a chemical environment, tactical medical field care, identifying unexploded ordnance, communication procedures, and call-for-fire, Jones said. Preliminary events had minimum standards for scoring and lane events were based on a pass or fail.

Despite high standards and challenging events, 1st Lt. Joshua Cotton, a Spartan chemical recon platoon leader, said he was excited and glad he went through it.

"(The Spur Ride) was tough and challenging, but being part of a long-standing tradition has been exciting and makes me proud," he added.

Cotton said he couldn't have achieved success without the help of others around him.

"I prepared for months, learning from others in my unit by utilizing their individual skill sets," he said.

In the end, it paid off, Cotton said. He not only received his silver spurs but gained valuable knowledge as well.

"I improved on most of the basic skill level Soldier tasks and fundamentals," Cotton said. "This allows me to improve myself as platoon leader to pass on the knowledge to my Soldiers."

Herndon said all participants, whether they received their spurs or not, should be proud to have taken part in some exceptional training. He said never give up and go after it again.