73rd Cavalry Regiment activates, trains, deploys in rapid succession to support Operation Enduring Freedom

Photo By Sgt. Matthew Clifton | Army Pfc. Patrick Hallock, (left), gunner, gets some help putting on his harness from Army Pvt. Kevin Bigby, driver, 2nd platoon, troop B, 4th squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment before a mission March 11 at Forward Operating Base Sharana, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Clifton (released)  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, AFGHANISTAN

03.20.2007

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan -- If you're a Soldier in today's Army, it is pretty safe to say you have a good idea of what it means to train, deploy and fight.

One thing different about the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment is the unit, which is now part of front-line operations in Afghanistan, didn't exist eight months ago.

"[Our unit] initially stood up on the 22nd of June, 2006," said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Green, command sergeant major, 4-73rd CAV, 82nd Airborne Division. "Prior to that Soldiers had been coming in by the ones and twos starting from the beginning of the year."

When Green, who served in the 82nd before, volunteered for the position of command sergeant major for the then nonexistent regiment he figured the division would want senior leaders who already had experience in the division.

A major issue Green had with the fledgling unit was new Soldiers coming in needed to be educated on what a paratrooper was and what it meant to be a paratrooper. For this, he turned to his platoon and first sergeants.

"As we stood up and have gone from just a few Soldiers to actually deploying as a whole unit, our strength has been our platoon sergeants," Greene said. "They were able to proficiently integrate, train and educate all of these new Soldiers, many of whom have never been in the 82nd before."

Not only had many of the Soldiers never dealt with the prestigious 82nd Airborne Division, nearly all of the lower enlisted troops came straight from Advanced Individual Training.

"Being in the [4-73rd CAV] has definitely been a leadership challenge if ever I have seen one," said 1st Sgt. Paul Correale, first sergeant, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop. "Our [noncommissioned officers] have definitely kept this unit together."

"They didn't really have any experience and integrating them into the squads and platoons was a challenge in and of itself," Greene said. "I can't stress enough how the senior NCOs were the glue that held this unit together."

Adding to the difficulty of training these new paratroopers was that the regiment had only a fraction of the time usually afforded to train for deployment, he continued.

"A unit typically gets a year to 18 months together to train and work out standard operating procedures," Green said. "We haven't had that much time, and getting our people trained on vital battle drills was a big challenge."

A lot of the training is muscle memory. Once a Soldier learns how to do their tasks, it's automatic. Prior to going to the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La. the unit was not ready. JRTC helped to refine the Soldier's skill and better prepare them for Afghanistan, Green said.

Not long after the regiment went to JRTC to validate their training, they were deployed.

The 4-73rd CAV hit the ground running around January 15, 2007 and has not looked back. The regiments' main area of operation is in the western part of the Paktika Province.

Because of the mobility of the cavalry they are able to control and cover a larger AO than would normally be expected. The unit is extremely adaptable, Green said.

"[The Soldiers] have always met and exceeded the standards and expectations we had set for them," Correale said. "Don't get me wrong, it has been trying, but at the same time it has also been very rewarding."

Since arriving in Afghanistan, Green has experienced many moments that have made him proud to lead this unit.

"There have been quite a few proud moments for me, but the best so far has got to be when we executed and completed our first operation," Green said. "The operation was planned and executed impressively from the squad up to the squadron level."

The platoons and troops hit the objectives just as they were supposed to and everything went just as planned.

Until they redeploy nearly a year from now, the 4-73rd CAV will continue to work closely with the Afghan National Army and Police to make the country safe, separate the enemy from the population and give the population a chance to grow.

• Date Taken: 03.20.2007
• Date Posted: 03.20.2007 12:27
• Story ID: 9526
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, AF