Photo By Staff Sgt. Leah Kilpatrick | Janee Rodriguez, spouse of Capt. Mark Rodriguez, commander of Troop D, 4th Battalion,...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas - With mud and grass stains streaked across their pants and their hair tousled with dirt and debris, the spouses of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division surmounted five obstacles to emerge victorious.
More than 80 Army spouses gathered at the Warrior Skills Training Center here Nov. 7 to face the obstacles before them and ultimately earn their spurs during the brigade’s Spouse’s Spur Ride.
“[A spur ride] is a series of events and challenges that test [a] soldier’s skills and abilities, their fitness, their endurance,” said Lt. Col. Michael Kielpinski, commander of Task Force Pershing, the brigade’s rear detachment.
While a typical spur ride for the soldiers would last three days and include such events as a physical fitness test, an obstacle course, and a ruck march, the Spouse’s Spur Ride was not quite as intense.
“The intent is to give the spouses a taste or a feel for what the soldiers go through when they go through their spur ride,” said Kielpinski, “but also some of the things they do in their daily duties, so we try to incorporate a little bit of both into the event.”
It began at 9 a.m., ended at noon, and included five stations in which the unit’s spouses conducted PT, weapons familiarization, assembly and disassembly, a scenario at the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 and an obstacle course.
“The intent was to get done before the kids get home from school,” said Kielpinski.
So in between loading and unloading the children from the school buses, the day was filled with smiles, giggles and camaraderie as spouses from five battalions banded together and motivated each other through the events.
“I’ve wanted to do one (a Spur Ride) since I heard about it, which was a long time ago,” said Lauren Vines, spouse of Sgt. 1st Class Johnathon Vines, as platoon sergeant in Troop B, 4th Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd BCT. “And I’m really competitive.”
Not only did the spouses bond through the shared experience of the Spur Ride, but also through the shared experience of the brigade’s current deployment to Afghanistan.
“We have to keep in mind we’re halfway through with the deployment, so we just wanted to put on a fun event for the spouses,” Kielpinski said.
The majority of the participant’s spouses are deployed, he said.
“I was surprised at how many people turned out,” said Ryann Lund, spouse of Pfc. Michael Lund, a cavalry scout with Troop C, 4-9 Cav.
After the spouses had completed the five stations, they attended an awards ceremony and lunch where they were presented their spur certificates and key chain with a set of silver spurs attached.
“I came out to the spur ride just to see more of what my husband does,” said Wendy Ashworth, spouse of Sgt. 1st Class Jason Ashworth, a signal support systems specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd BCT.
Now the spouses of 2nd BCT have earned their own spur key chains and a new understanding of some of the challenges their spouses endure.
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2013 16:00 |
| Story ID: | 116668 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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