Timeless actions: 'Quarter Horse' troopers honor Medal of Honor recipient ahead of casing

By Capt. Joshua T. ChristianApril 14, 2015

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1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A Soldier from 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., looks at a print of Sgt. Donald R. Long at a dedication ceremony outside of Long Fitness Center on March 31 at Fort Riley, Kansas. Long, the fitness center's namesake, was a 1st Sqdn.... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command Sgt. Maj. Wendell Franklin and Lt. Col. Frederick Dente, 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., dedicate a print of Sgt. Donald R. Long on March 31 at Fort Riley, Kansas. Long, who served with "Quarter Horse" squadron during the ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command Sgt. Maj. Wendell Franklin and Lt. Col. Frederick Dente, 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., unveil a commemorative print of Long Fitness Center's namesake, Sgt. Donald R. Long, on March 31 at Fort Riley, Kansas. Long, a membe... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

About 10,000 Soldiers walk, run or drive past Fort Riley's Long Fitness Center every day as they make their way around Custer Hill, but not many know the history behind the gym's name. Troopers of the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, do.

On June 30, 1966, in south Vietnam, Sgt. Donald R. Long and the men of the squadron's Troops B and C were conducting a reconnaissance operation in the dense jungles when they were ambushed by a concealed Viet Cong regiment reinforced with mortars, recoilless rifles and machine guns. During the battle, Long left his armored personnel carrier and, under enemy fire, carried wounded men to evacuation helicopters before continuing to fight.

"When the enemy threatened to overrun a disabled carrier nearby, Sgt. Long again disregarded his own safety to help the severely wounded crew to safety," according to the Medal of Honor citation.

"As he was handing arms to the less seriously wounded and reorganizing them to press the attack, an enemy grenade was hurled onto the carrier deck. Immediately recognizing the imminent danger, he instinctively shouted a warning to the crew and pushed to safety one man who had not heard his warning over the roar of battle. Realizing that these actions would not fully protect the exposed crewmen from the deadly explosion, he threw himself over the grenade to absorb the blast and thereby saved the lives of eight of his comrades at the expense of his life."

It was that heroism and selfless duty that inspired leaders of the 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., to commission artwork honoring Long by artist Shaddy Safadi and offer prints to their Soldiers and veterans. One of those veterans was the troop's senior noncommissioned officer during the battle, according to information from the squadron, who purchased additional prints to send to two Soldiers Long saved that day.

The squadron is Long's family, Lt. Col. Fred Dente, "Quarter Horse" commander, said. Officials are working with the Medal of Honor Society to track down Long's relatives, but "we've taken on the responsibility of remembering him and honoring his service," Dente said.

Long's Medal of Honor citation is astounding and inspirational to every one of the troopers and it motivated them every day to make themselves better, he said.

The move to further honor Long, who was 26 at the time of his death, was one of the final symbolic acts by the squadron before its April 15 casing.

The 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., will reorganize on Fort Riley under the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team following the 4th IBCT's June inactivation. The brigade's 4th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., will be re-designated as the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regtiment, later this year, according to information from the brigade.

The Quarter Horse squadron stood up in 2006 when the 4th IBCT activated at Fort Riley. The brigade's colors were cased during an April 2 ceremony ahead of its June inactivation. The inactivation was first announced in July 2013 and, according to information from the 1st Inf. Div., was part of the Army's ongoing restructuring process.

Leaders made 499 of the prints available to squadron veterans, and presented "No. 001" to Long Fitness Center during a March 31 ceremony. The print and a copy of Long's Medal of Honor citation hangs in the facility that bears his name.

The dedication was a moment for troopers of the squadron to stop and think about where they've been and where they're going, and the things that are timeless, Dente said.

"It's not the type of vehicle that we're on, it's not the mission set, it's not the Afghanistan or Iraq rotations," he said. "It's the actions of guys like Sgt. Long that are timeless in our squadron."

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