Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Joe Armas | U.S. Soldiers, paratroopers with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division,...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — First Lt. Lloyd L. Polette was a paratrooper with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment who fought gallantly in World War II and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic actions in combat. He was killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge in January of 1945 but his legacy lives on in the regiment to this day.
In his honor, more than 100 paratroopers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, took part in the Lt. Lloyd L. Polette Cup May 16-17, here. The Polette Cup is a competition held to determine the brigade’s best lieutenant. The 4th BCT as it is known today derives its lineage from the 508th PIR.
Before the competition began, the lieutenants took part in a discussion with Brig. Gen. Brian McKiernan, the division’s deputy commander for sustainment. The discussion focused on the lieutenant’s important role as platoon leaders in the division.
The competition started off with a round-robin event at the Advanced Airborne School where the lieutenants jumped from the 34-foot tower and rigged their rucksacks for airborne operations, according to Capt. Jonathan Roland, from Baltimore, an operations officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th BCT.
Following the round robin, they encountered an an eight-lane obstacle course, conducted land navigation during hours of limited visibility and then took part in a timed foot march.
Roland, who oversaw the execution of the event, said that the lieutenants were eager and ready to tackle the tasks at hand.
“These junior officers did a phenomenal job and responded accordingly to the challenges that were presented to them,” added Roland.
The foot march was followed by more graded exercises that consisted of rendering aid to a simulated combat casualty, close quarter marksmanship and combatives. The final graded event was a regimental history test.
For one newly assigned trooper, the competition was an opportunity to challenge herself and at the same time interact with her counterparts across the brigade.
“There was a lot of camaraderie out there among all of us,” said 2nd. Lt. Megan Hurley, a distribution platoon leader assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 4th BCT.
“I just got here about three weeks ago so it was great to interact with other lieutenants in the brigade,” Hurley continued.
The event was challenging and fun at the same time, she added.
The leadership from the brigade and the battalions showed up out there to show their support and I think that was important for all of us, said Hurley.
Roland said he feels the competition allowed the lieutenants in the brigade to grow as a team and learn about the storied past of the 508th PIR.
“Events like these engender esprit de corps,” said Roland. “Furthermore, Lt. Polette is probably the most storied officer in the history of the 508th. The fact that this competition bears his name means that we acknowledge and pay homage to the heritage of this great regiment,” added Roland.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2013 19:47 |
| Story ID: | 107279 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 459 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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