FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — The historic B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) added three new members to its ranks at a graduation ceremony Friday on Brown Parade Field. Dressed in uniforms from the 1880s, the members might look out of place in today’s world, but as Maj. Ashley Mount, commander of B Troop says, “the echoes of yesterday, grip the Soldiers of today.”
Col. John Ives, commander, U.S Army Garrison Fort Huachuca, said, “The U.S Cavalry carries a storied history here at Fort Huachuca, and our roots translate to our current and future force — communicating across broad expanses, caring for our equipment, our mounts and our people, choosing the best means to find, fix and engage our enemies, always readying our forces to defend the frontiers of our mighty nation.
“Nothing has changed,” he said “we just do it in a different way [now]. B Troop symbolizes all that we were and helps us to understand our path to our future.”
The three new graduates are: Sgt. 1st Class Shanna Green, G35 NCOIC future operations planner; Staff Sgt. Roberto Villarreal Jr., instructor for A Company, 309th Military Intelligence Battalion, 111th MI Brigade; and Capt. Danielle Goring, officer-in-charge and veterinarian, Fort Huachuca Veterinary Services.
Speaking about the graduates, Ives said, “Our graduates completed four months of B Troop cavalry riding school and successfully passed their final riding test. They’ve been taught everything they need to know about the basics of cavalry life; caring for the horse, the saber and the saddle.
“They’ve also learned about the organization, history and heritage of the U.S Cavalry,” he continued. “They have learned the value of teamwork. They have learned what it means to be counted as a trooper. The spirit of the cavalrymen of yesteryear burns bright in our troopers. Their passionate generosity keeps our proud Army heritage alive.”
B Troop relies solely on volunteers to fill its ranks, so each of the graduates had to balance the training while still conducting their normal jobs, families and duties.
Green said this was one of the toughest things about joining B Troop.
“It’s a lot of time, and you really have to commit to the whole process,” she said. “It’s not for the faint of heart.”
Goring, who graduated as a member of the Ladies Auxiliary Reserve, had a different opinion on what was the most difficult. The Ladies do much of their work in the sidesaddle position, and Goring said learning to trot and canter in sidesaddle was challenging.
“The hardest thing was getting into a canter,” she said. “That fast trot is really bouncy in sidesaddle.”
As for Villarreal, he said the most difficult part of it all was “trying to figure out the mind of the horse, because they’ve got a mind of their own.”
After completing the ceremonial charge, the graduates were given their spurs and allowed to wear them for the first time. At past graduations, the troopers would fasten them on themselves, but this time, Mount and Ives knelt down and personally buckled the spurs onto the boots of the new graduates.
“This is a sign of both respect and kinship” said Ives. “[A sign] that they are a member of a proud tradition. A member of a close-knit team. Its also a reminder that no trooper is ever alone. We are always there to lend a hand.”
As a member of the Ladies Auxiliary Unit, instead of spurs, Goring received a monogrammed riding crop. “The riding crop is a symbol,” said Ives, “of her ability to control the tempo and the chaos, and that she is firmly and calmly in control.”
His voice broke as he went on, “It is also a reminder that it wasn’t, and never will be, just about the trooper. It’s about the families, the support and the love of a much larger network of teammates.
“I am proud to welcome (these troopers) to B Troop and 4th Regiment,” Ives concluded. “God bless you all, and God bless the United States of America.”
(Editor's note: For the complete photo album, go to https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_army_fort_huachuca/albums/72177720308128918.)
# # #
Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/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/.
Social Sharing