Photo By Staff Sgt. Richard Wrigley | Col. Scott Jackson, commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team “Spartans,”...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga. - Last week marked a historic moment in the legacy of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team “Spartans,” the 3rd Infantry Division, and the U.S. Army. The Spartan Brigade reorganized. The reorganization was made official in the ceremony held on Friday, Oct. 24, when the Spartans lost 1,823 Soldiers, a full two battalions and five additional companies, as these Soldiers transferred to different organizations here on Fort Stewart.
That was not all that happened last week however. It was not just a reorganization. For many, the last week was the last week for the Armored Brigade, as it was the last time where all six battalions and all 30 companies could come together under the same colors, explained Col. Scott Jackson, commander, 2nd ABCT.
Granted, the Spartans are still an active organization, and will be so until the scheduled retiring of the colors in January 2015. Also, it will only be a short few months after that until the current 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is re-flagged as the 2nd IBCT and takes on the Spartan mantle. Despite this, this last week was considered by many as the last week, because it was the last week that the Spartan Armored Brigade that has done so much in the last 12 years, would stand together.
Over the course of a week, many events took place. There was the last Brigade Run, where all the Spartans gathered behind the Spartan Colors and ran, bellowing cadence and showing their high regard and pride for their unit one last time. After the run there was a Spartan King-of-the-Pit challenge, where only one Spartan could be left standing.
There was also the last Spartan 6 PT Challenge. Every month since Jackson took command of the brigade, the company and battalion commanders have gathered and competed against each other for the coveted Spartan Shield in a unique physical challenge designed by Jackson. Well his last one was a bit different; it incorporated all the officers of the entire brigade. This event ended with a combatives tournament, where the best earned the chance to get in the ring with Spartan 6 himself.
“It’s just like when anyone is going away, you want to spend as much time with them as you can,” explained Jackson.
Indeed the intent for these events were really to give everyone one last opportunity to be together, one last opportunity to say goodbye. The fact that these events were for the most part physical challenges is significant too, as it speaks to the character of the brigade.
“The events were what they were, because that’s just kind of what we do down here,” said Jackson.
The legacy of the Spartan brigade is not just that of growth through physical challenge however. It is a long and storied legacy, which was spoke of in great detail many times during the last week.
Indeed, it is a history of 97 years of excellence, where the Spartans and those that made up the Spartan Brigade were decisive actors in both World War I and World War II, as well the Korean War. They stood tall, ready and defiant of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, and most recently, are accredited for their bold actions through out Operation Desert Storm as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as their most recent efforts in Operation Enduring Freedom, in Afghanistan.
The last event of last week was a brigade ball. It was the last Spartan ball for the armored brigade, where Gen. David Perkins, commanding general, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, attended as the guest speaker.
Understandably, many have expressed remorse during the last week. Goodbyes can make for a sad time, and many rue what appears to be the end of a legacy.
Yet change is natural in the Army, and this type of change is not such a strange thing when considering the history of the Spartans. A fact that Sgt. Maj. Randall Windham, senior enlisted leader in charge of operations for the 2nd ABCT, can attest to.
When Windham joined the Army back in 1989, he was initially asigned to the 3-19th Infantry Battalion, 2nd ABCT. Shortly after that however, the battalion re-flagged to 3-15th Infantry Battalion. Windham deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm with the “Can Do” 3-15th IN, and then left for other duty stations in 1993. He came back to the brigade 20 years later in 2013, yet his “Can Do” battalion has since been assigned to 4th IBCT. The circle will come around full-turn however later in the summer when the 4th reflags to the 2nd, and once again the “Can Do” battalion will fall under the Spartan Colors.
In fact the 2nd Brigade, during its long history, has come and gone in some shape or fashion, four times before this.
“This reorganization is a normal thing, and it is bigger than just one unit or just one Soldier, this is about the Army,” said Windham. “We do our duty, and as always, that duty is to ensure the Army can maintain its number one purpose of protecting the United States.”
Given this normal fluctuation, it should come as no surprise that the legacy of the 2nd ABCT is immortal.
“The book that is the history of our legacy opens and closes all the time, but every time it opens, the pages written before are the same; they tell of excellence, bravery, and the Spartan Spirit,” Jackson said. “This legacy will never die - SEND ME!”
| Date Taken: | 10.27.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2014 17:17 |
| Story ID: | 150003 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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