FORT HOOD, Texas — Brave Rifles from Eagle Troop, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment achieve top honors by displaying mental and physical toughness during a recent Rifles Challenge at Fort Hood, Texas.
Monthly, Brave Rifles from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment have the opportunity to compete for Regimental Commander’s PT Excellence Streamer and the status of top Troop in the Regiment. The competition is designed to build pride in the Regiment through history lessons, fosters healthy competition, and focuses on the fundamentals of the Army profession. Troopers from Sabre Squadron won the streamer for the second month in a row.
“Within Sabre Squadron, there is a culture of fitness and excellence,” said Eagle Troop Commander, Capt. Sam Pulliam. “We have had Squad competitions, and we came in second to Grim Troop, who then won the Rifles Competition. Eagle Troop won the last Saber’s Edge Competition, allowing us to represent the Squadron at the Regiment level.”
Over the past month, platoons competed to be named top Troop at the Squadron level. The Platoon/Troop then represented their Squadron at the Rifles Competition on February 24. The challenge consisted of four stations along a designated route in Brave Rifles Country with the theme of saving “Capt. Guy Henry”, a 3rd Cavalry war hero who was shot in the face and lost an eye on June 17, 1876, but survived the Battle of Rosebud Creek to become the 12th Col. of the Regiment. Five Troopers received the Medal of Honor for bravery in the battle.
Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Troop organized and ran the event, and Commander, Capt. Elizabeth LaRue found inspiration for the event from the Little Big Horn painting outside the Regimental Commander’s Office and the story of Capt. Guy Henry.
“This story meets all of the RCO’s priorities of Brave Rifles Tough, highlighting the bravery that it took to sustain his life as well as the Regiment’s history,” LaRue said. “He was shot in the face and survived despite the odds. We incorporated the warrior tasks that it would take to save Capt. Henry likes medical and communications as well as physical toughness, endurance events that will exhaust you as well as tests your knowledge with the trivia and history of the Regiment.”
During the challenge, Troopers were evaluated on vital Medical Tasks, including Request medical evacuation, evacuate a casualty, casualty care under fire, and evacuate a casualty, as well as recognition of signs and symptoms of shock.
“The Troopers performed really well. The big takeaway is that nobody in the Army does anything as an individual,” said Remington Troop Commander, 1st Sgt. Samuel Winkler. “It’s all about teamwork. You can’t be successful if you try to do it by yourself. There is a direct correlation from physical toughness to mental resiliency when you have your teammates by your side getting you through it. With this event, it was crucial that you rely on teamwork or you would fail. If they came out of the event with that lesson, then it was a successful outing.”
Sgt. Jon Tozzi, 2nd squad Leader, 3rd Platoon, from Eagle Troop, said it’s all about having a lethal attitude.
“We go into everything wanting to crush and kill everything we do. We do cardio, muscular endurance, and we don’t just focus on one area in a physical event,” Tozzi said. “It comes down to the want, the drive, and the heart. You have to want to drive yourself to do it and the heart to ultimately win it. Which we did.”
Tozzi said that winning is nothing new to Sabre Squadron and much less to Eagle troop.
“I’m confident that we are going to hold on to the streamer for a while,” he said. “I urge anyone that wants it to bring your best because we brought our best, and we are going to continue to bring our best.”
Cpl. Riley Glausser, Eagle training room NCOIC, said he saw his entire Troop come together to support the Platoon and the squad.
“Everyone was behind each other. They went out and executed, and there was support all around from the NCOs down and the Jo’s who were getting after it and having a good time,” Glausser said. “It brought a lot of people together, and eventually being successful made it even better at the end.”
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