Cavalrymen earn their 'silver spurs'

By Chad L. SimonMay 8, 2017

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1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers hike up Campbell Hill Road during a spur ride April 6 on Fort Riley. Fifth Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, hosted the event. Soldiers marched up to 33 miles during the 31-hour event whi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Capt. Mike Bender, 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, reviews a map to decide how to get from the land navigation station to the finish point of the spur ride April 6 on Fort Riley. A total of ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers of Troop D review symbols on a map as part of the land navigation portion during a spur ride April 6 on Fort Riley. Fifth Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, hosted the event. Soldiers marc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

More than 230 Soldiers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, stepped off from the Cavalry Parade Field on Fort Riley April 7 as they attempted to earn their coveted "silver spurs" during a three-day "spur ride."

The spur ride started on the Cavalry Parade Field with a gear inspection and test, followed by a visit to the Cavalry Museum where Soldiers learned about their history. The Soldiers then covered anywhere from 22-31 miles as they marched with packs weighing about 60 pounds to different sites on post that tested their scout skills.

A total of 196 new cavalrymen returned to the same parade field on April 9 and received their spurs during a ceremony hosted by 5th Squadron, 4th Calvary Regiment, 2nd ABCT. The crowning moment may have been when the shiny, silver spurs were placed on the heels of the new cavalrymen, but the hard work took place well before the ceremony.

Organized into troops of 25-30 members each, the Soldiers had to successfully complete eight of 11 different event stations during the 31-hour spur ride. With no sleep during the ride, the Soldiers of Troop D were feeling the effects of the event as their tired and sore bodies marched up Campbell Hill Road to their final station, land navigation.

Following their last station, Troop D marched in a staggered column the last few miles to the finish line and enjoyed a barbecue that awaited all finishers.

"It is tough," said Staff Sgt. James Hutcheson, 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., Bradley Fighting Vehicle system maintainer, who completed the ride. "It is one of the most physically challenging events during my Army career. There were times that I wanted to quit, but I am glad I didn't. I recommend anybody to go out and do it."

The ride was open to all Soldiers within the "Dagger" brigade, not just cavalry-specific job fields.

"As a logistics officer, my job is to support the cavalry unit, and the best way for me to do that is to understand what they do," said spur earner Capt. Mike Bender, 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. "Competing in this event, I get to learn a lot about their operation and prove myself. I also get that sense of belonging in the organization."

While the spur ride is not a formally recognized event or certificate by the U.S. Army, it is a time-honored tradition. The spur is a symbol of the cavalryman from the earliest times of the U.S. Calvary. Though the horse is no longer used in the cavalry, the spur is a symbol of that tradition.

"Within cavalry organizations, spurs are not looked upon as unofficial awards," said Lt. Col. Dave Maxwell, 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., commander. "They are looked at as awards and something that you earn.

"If a trooper is a spur holder, it's looked at as a sign of a professional cavalryman. When you compound that with the history and lineage of earning your spurs, I think it is important. You have to have a sense of where you came from to understand what you are doing today."

As the commander of the squadron that hosted the event, Maxwell expressed to the spur ride organizing committee that the event would be a professional training event to make Soldiers better, and not a hazing ritual or rite of passage.

"Hazing is pointless," Maxwell said. "My charge to the spur committee was that we weren't going to do anything that is pointless. Every station used training and evaluation outlines for the individual and squad-level tasks. Our evaluation at each station wasn't arbitrary. It was by the publication standards for whatever the event. It was done by the book."

The spur ride was designed to put the Soldiers under stress and then have the Soldiers perform as a team to accomplish the mission.

"You're always most proud of events that are challenging," said Maj. Adam Pooley, 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., operations officer and past spur recipient who coordinated this ride. "Us making sure it wasn't a hazing event has nothing to do with it not being challenging. Thirty one hours, covering 22 to 30 some miles, the guys were tested and pushed to their limits physically.

"They were sleep deprived. They didn't get any sleep as they navigated through the night. Stress was induced because of the difficulty of the task, not because people were just screaming in their faces and making them do tons of pushups."

Maxwell also wanted the ride to be an event that would make cavalry Soldiers do what they signed up for when they enlisted in the Army. The ride did just that, as one Soldier decided to re-enlist after earning his spurs.

"I was talking to the commander of 2-70th (2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment), (Lt. Col.) Eric Melloh, and he said he had a scout come back from the spur ride and signed his reenlistment," Maxell said. "Not only did he re-enlist, he re-enlisted for current duty station. He chose to stay here at Fort Riley.

"It makes me feel great. The Army is keeping a scout which means that scout is going to get promoted. He is going to become a sergeant. He is going to train four more scouts in the next two years. It makes me feel like I am doing my job to the brigade commander and the Army."

Due to a medical emergency, Maxwell was not present during the spur ride, but he said his absence was a good training opportunity for the Soldiers.

"As the senior spur holder, it was very hard for me not to be there," Maxwell said. "It was so rewarding to get pictures, phone calls and text messages. It captured the essence of how a cavalry organization is run because we are dispersed over such a wide area.

"You lose contact with your commanders. To me, that was one of the most rewarding parts. For it to go off the way it did was a testament to all the junior officers and noncommissioned officers that signed up for it."

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