Photo By Sgt. Eric Glassey | Lt. Col. Andrew W. Koloski, commander, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry...... read more read more
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FORT CARSON, Colo. – The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, closed the chapter on two of its units during an inactivation ceremony at Founders Field, Dec. 19, 2014.
The inactivated units, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, and 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, are part of the 2nd ABCT’s reduction as the 4th Infantry Division demobilizes the brigade.
Lt. Col. Andrew W. Koloski, commander, 2nd ABCT, 4th Infantry Division and reviewing officer of the ceremony, commented on the professionalism and skill of both units during their June 2013 rotation to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
“I really do try very hard not to be partial to one subordinate unit or another in the brigade, but that is pretty hard when it comes to the two very fine organizations out there on the field today,” Koloski said. “Both of these units have a long and proud lineage full of amazing accomplishments and heroic achievements.
“What I can speak most to is their record since I’ve been a part of the brigade,” Koloski said. “Over the last 18 months, both of these units have completed an extraordinarily rigorous training program that resulted in amazing performances at the National Training Center in June 2013.
“They (the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment) operated independently, with little support or sleep and were usually fully deployed before the brigade finished planning the upcoming operation,” Koloski said. “Throughout that time, they epitomized the role of the cavalry – operating independently within the commander’s intent, adjusting their plans to changes on the battlefield, keeping their higher headquarters informed at all times, and providing freedom of maneuver for the brigade’s main body.”
“During the same rotation, 3rd Battalion, 16th FA Regiment, demonstrated that they were the best fire support unit to deploy to the desert training center in at least the last 10 years,” Koloski said. “They fired more missions, recorded more ‘kills,’ and protected themselves better than any of the (observers) had ever seen.”
Koloski continued his praise about the units’ endeavors beyond NTC with the brigade's subsequent deployment to the Middle East.
“Even more remarkable than their accomplishments during NTC were how these units responded to difficult task during our deployment to the Middle East,” Koloski said. “For the 3rd Battalion, 16th FA Regiment, they were assigned as Security Forces South, working under the command of Area Support Group Kuwait to secure Camp Arifjan, Kuwait Naval Base, the Port of Shuaiba, and key infrastructure throughout Southern Kuwait. I can’t count the number of times the garrison commander and U.S. Army Central deputy commanding general thanked Omar and me for sending them 3rd Battalion, 16th FA Regiment. They operated independently and made enormous improvements to the security situation and host nation relationships."
“For 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, they were even more isolated from the rest of the brigade,” Koloski said. “Initially tasked as the prepared to deploy force, they got activated to deploy less than six weeks after the main body of the brigade. For nine months, they secured key infrastructure in Qatar including Camp As Saliya and theater-level assets in the western desert. They also made enormous inroads with the Qatari security forces, conducting the first theater security cooperation exercise with the land forces, enabling a joint security exercise with the Qater National Guard, and building an incredible partnership with the community through sponsorship of the scout troop in Qatar.”
Maj. Michael E. Persin, commander, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, thanked his troops for their steadfast loyalty to the unit that has had a long history of service.
“The last of the 1st Squadron troopers standing before you exemplify the spirit, teamwork and esprit that are the heart of the Buffalo Soldiers,” Persin said. “The formation is a conglomeration of all five troops – our very last team of teams – and has worked diligently to accomplish the final tasks leading us to this moment."
“It is a very sad day for us as we come to the end of service for one of the most storied cavalry squadrons in the U.S. Army,” Persin said. “Throughout its history, the squadron has always been a team of teams – able to blend the abilities of various assets to accomplish the most difficult of missions. In a nutshell, that is its most defining characteristic. Maximizing the unique capabilities of individual team members is a cornerstone of cavalry operations in general, but integrating those capabilities into any task – tactical or otherwise – is a hallmark of the squadron and has always enabled us to fight bigger than we are.”
Maj. (P) Ryan P. Levesque, commander, 3rd Battalion, 16th FA Regiment, talked about the excellence of his Soldiers and their accomplishment of their duty to their nation.
“This battalion packed in more excellence per square inch over the last two and a half years than any I’ve seen in my career,” Levesque said. “From the thousands and thousands of 155 (mm) rounds shot into the Fort Carson impact area and high mountain desert resort town of the National Training Center or the not-quite-so-explosive rounds shot at Pinon Canyon, and the over 1,300 live rounds shot on the Udairi Range in Kuwait – one platoon at a time I might add – to the tactical maneuvering, positioning, planning, caring, feeding, maintaining and moving at multiple training exercises that resulted in the Army’s most highly-tuned indirect fire machine and its most well-trained artillerymen.
“Just as they ran out of artillery things to do superbly, they were assigned to protect, run and manage a foreign naval base in the state of Kuwait where they again showed their discipline, professionalism and very dynamic talent. Most importantly, they answered the call of the strategically important mission of maintaining and improving the partnership relationship between U.S. and Kuwaiti forces.”
While the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, will be closing its book on its current chapter, the 3rd Battalion, 16th FA Regiment, will be activated at Fort Hood as part of the 1st Cavalry Division.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2014 18:23 |
| Story ID: | 150859 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 198 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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