Cav officers work together, overcome obstacles

FORT HOOD, Texas - On Fort Hood, the completion of Reveille signifies one thing - physical training time.

Formations of Soldiers flood Battalion Avenue as they prepare to dedicate the next hour to their physical well being.

But for one group of 1st Cavalry Division officers, PT provided something a bit different - combat-focused PT among their peers.

The day's combat-focused PT was intended to promote teamwork and esprit de corps while demonstrating the importance of leading from the front, said Brig. Gen. Viet Luong, the 1st Cav. Div. Deputy Commanding General - Maneuver.

"I think as officers at the division level, it's important that we set the tone for brigades and battalions and be an example for those Troopers out on Battalion (Avenue)," Luong said.

More than 20 officers sprinted from obstacle to obstacle as they demonstrated their ability to rope climb, jump over vaults, work together to climb over four walls, and rope climb up a final wall.

Although they all knew the morning would entail physical training, the nature of the training remained a mystery.

"I think the mystery events also help build agility in our officers in being able to anticipate and adapt to changing conditions that they would on the battlefield," Luong said. "Because in the middle of the battlefield, things that happen there are not things that you might have anticipated, so it's good to have them guessing what's up next. It has to be physically challenging enough, but in the end, to promote teamwork you have to have some fun events in there as well where leaders can get something out of it."

Through the various obstacles and sweat drenched uniforms, constant cheering and an occasional "you got this, come on," would reach a fellow Soldier needing a little extra push.

"I think the teamwork part made it the best part," said Lt. Col. Jesse Phillips, event organizer and commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Cav. Div.

"They stuck together as a team, moved together as team, then worked through and navigated obstacles."

Aside from teamwork, Philips stressed that officers are leaders.

"You have to lead by example," he said. "If you're going to ask your young Soldiers to do stuff like this, then you have to do it yourself and demonstrate you're able to do it."

Separated into teams, three to four Soldiers carried a log a quarter of the size of a telephone pole nearly a mile.

Their next task was to evaluate, treat and carry a simulated casualty to Cooper Field.

Nearly an hour later, Soldiers made it back to Cooper Field, but the mystery obstacles were not yet complete.

Luong directed the group of Soldiers to don their body armor. Taking a light jog, they headed to an open field.

Luong shared some of his personal war stories with his fellow officers, bringing to light the seriousness of the oath they all took. He shared the names of some of his own Soldiers who paid the ultimate price for freedom.

"It's important to talk about the privilege of leading troops and then the sacrifices that our troops have endured over the years," Luong said. "It's important to know that for 1st Cavalry Division, our division is still deployed, and we still have Soldiers in harm's way."

The speech served as motivation for Luong's final event: Rugby. Despite the intense effort already exerted, the group of officers ran up and down the field hands high and smiles wide.

"This was an excellent esprit de corps event," said Maj. Carl Ballinger, the explosive ordnance disposal officer in the division's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosives cell.

"This is definitely different than anything I have ever done as an officer," Ballinger said. "We carried logs. We carried stretchers. We played rugby. It was an experience. If you're on staff at a division level, it's potentially easy to get isolated from what it is Soldiers are doing down at the battalion and platoon level. It's a reminder that we're Soldiers first, combat focused and training focused."