Mustang soldiers, spouses earn spurs

FORT STEWART, Ga. - "When the soldier wears silver spurs, he wears them with pride because everyone looks at him and knows he has completed a spur ride and has met the standard of a true cavalryman," said Lt. Col. Scott Sentell, commander of 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

Spur candidates, also known as "shave tails," from the Mustang Squadron, participated in the squadron's spur ride on Fort Stewart, Ga., Dec. 9-10 and on Dec. 11 a subsequent spur ride was held for spouses to earn their spurs in support of their soldier.

In early cavalry tradition, new troopers were assigned horses with shaved tails to distinguish them from more senior, experienced troopers. The shaved tail signified the rider was new and unskilled. Once a cavalryman had demonstrated proficiency in his mounted saber skills, he was awarded his spurs.

"As a cavalry trooper, it only shows that we keep with the traditions of the cavalry," said Spc. Luis Zamora, a cavalry scout with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 6-8 Cav. "I'm really tired, but I also feel really proud of myself because it was a great experience and really, really good training."

The spur ride consisted of an air assault movement, 10 lanes in which candidates were tested on doctrine and tactical proficiency by spur holders and concluded with a 12-mile foot march. Each lane presented a tactical situation with various challenging tasks. At the end, 95 troopers completed the spur ride successfully.

Zamora, a native of Laredo, Texas, said the hardest event was the preventative maintenance checks and services lane.

"They had us take apart a tow bar and carry it with us while crawling," he said.

When the soldiers finished their 12-mile foot march, there were many tired, but smiling faces.

"I have a tremendous amount of pride in the soldiers today," said Sentell, a native of Gaffney, South Carolina. "The spur ceremony today shows the results of that hard work and effort over the last 24 hours."

Sentell wasn't the only one who said he was proud of his troops.

"He got home with bruises, scratches and scrapes, but he did it," said Brenda Zamora, wife of Luis, who also participated in the squadron's spouse spur ride. "He got his spurs and all his hard work paid off."

The spouses' spur ride offered an insight into the tasks their soldiers perform as part of their duties. The spouses' spur ride included weapons familiarization, medical tasks and a lane to challenge their physical endurance.

"The spouses' spur ride is equally important as this because, as we know, the families are just as important," said Sentell. "We'll give them a little taste of what a cavalry soldier does on a daily basis."

"I thought the best part was the shooting range," said Brenda, a native of Laredo, Texas. "It was a great experience. I had tons of fun."

Brenda added she was glad to participate in the events and that it was important for her to experience and have a better grasp of what her husband does.

Related Links:

The 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division DVIDS page.

The official 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart Facebook page.

The official 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Facebook page.

The official 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart website.