Photo By Spc. Ryan Elliott | Col. Jon S. Lehr, commander of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry...... read more read more
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By Spc. Ryan Elliott
14th Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq- The Dragoon was a warrior forged in the battles that engulfed Western Europe in the 18th Century. The evolving battlefield demanded new tactics and a new type of soldiers. Mounted on horseback, the Dragoon presented a mobility and flexibility in battle never seen before.
"Dragoons are trained and equipped to fight both mounted on horseback and on the ground. They can hold terrain and bring a tremendous mobility to the battlefield," said Lt. Col. Bryan Denny, deputy commander, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. "The Dragoon has proven to be a very adaptable Soldier."
The term Dragoon was derived from the belief that the musket the cavalry men carried looked as though it was breathing fire like a dragon. Over the centuries the term to describe the soldier has become Dragoon.
In 1836 President Andrew Jackson brought the Dragoon tradition to America by forming the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons to fight in the Second Seminole War.
"The creation of the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons was the birth of our unit and the beginning of its long distinguished history associated with the Dragoon," said Denny.
"The Dragoon is a great symbol that embodies many of the values and qualities that 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment Soldiers posess to this day," said Denny.
The Dragoon is a highly mobile force that has the ability to position itself in the battle and once there can dismount and provide a presence as a ground force.
"Unlike the Dragoons of yesterday, we don't ride on the back of horses, but instead we ride in the belly of a Strykers. We can deliver the 2nd SCR Soldier on the ground to the point they need to be in to be decisive in the battle," said Denny.
"I think the Dragoon is a time honored symbol of the organization and I think first and foremost we will always be Dragoons; we were cavalry men, we were troopers in World War two, we were armored cavalrymen in the cold war, now we are Stryker Soldiers. But through it all, the Dragoon symbol has been with us and I think we will always be closely associated with dragoons," said Denny.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve in such a unit with such a long and storied history it gives me a great sense of pride I really, said Denny. "And we truly are the Dragoons of 2008."
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2008 06:39 |
| Story ID: | 24410 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 158 |
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