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FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The newest graduates from the B Troop 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) riding school conducted their first cavalry charge across historic Brown Parade Field, donned their spurs and joined the historic ranks of the ceremonial unit in a graduation ceremony held Aug. 26.
After completing four months of riding school and successfully passing their final riding test, Spc. Ryan Broich, Maj. Ashley D. Mount, Staff Sgt. Hershel W. Smith and U. S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Aaron Trevino became the newest B Troopers.
Broich, a military intelligence systems maintainer/integrator with the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion, joined B Troop to follow in his previous first sergeant’s footsteps.
“I had a first sergeant who really mentored me a lot at my last unit in Korea, and he used to be a trooper here,” Broich said. “When he found out I was coming to Huachuca, he was pretty excited and was like, ‘You should go do Bravo Troop.’ It means a lot to actually graduate and kind of be his legacy.”
Being a part of B Troop means, “to live the Army values, truly live what the Army is about, comradery and all around fun,” Mount said.
“The absolute highlight of every ceremony on Fort Huachuca is the B Troop cavalry charge,” said Col. John M. Ives, garrison commander and honorary regiment commander. “When the riders streak past us with the sound of the bugle, hooves thundering, pistols firing and the final boom of the cannon. The spirit of the cavalrymen of yesteryear burns bright in our newest troopers. Their passionate generosity keeps our proud Army heritage alive.”
B Troop is a U.S. Army mounted ceremonial unit whose mission is to promote the heritage and traditions of the U.S. Army in the Southwest during the period of the Indian Wars and support recruiting, community relations, and official/nonofficial ceremonial functions. Through appearances at social, cultural and other activities, B Troop advances the interests of the U.S. Army, military horsemanship of the 1880s, and the history of Fort Huachuca.
“[B Troop] is kind of the heart and soul, in a sense,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. John Walton, B Troop commander. “We keep the tradition, history of Fort Huachuca alive because in its history and background a large part of that was what the Calvary did, while it was here.”
Walton, a cyber survivability analyst at the Joint Interoperability Test Command here, volunteers his time to command B Troop outside of his normal duty hours.
The unit is officially established by regulation and funded by the Army. The unit has a zero-manpower authorization and relies on volunteers to fill its ranks. Members are drawn from Active Duty, Reserve and retired military personnel, Department of Defense civilians employed at Fort Huachuca, and military family members ages 18 and over. Members of the unit are uniformed, equipped and armed in accordance with U.S. Cavalry standards of the 1880s. A Ladies Auxiliary supports B Troop, primarily by participating in parades riding sidesaddle and wearing period-authentic clothing, and may assist with horse care and training. An artillery section known as K Battery also supports B Troop. These members do not ride, but operate the Troop’s 1840 mountain howitzer at ceremonies and public events.
B Troop will host the Best Trooper Competition at 8 a.m. Sept. 10 on Brown Parade Field where individual troopers will employ their saber and pistol while also maneuvering their horses through a series of targets and jumps for speed and accuracy. The event is free and open to the public and provides a sneak peek into B Troop’s training for the National Cavalry Competition at Fort Reno, Oklahoma, in September.
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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