Photo By Staff Sgt. Gregory Summers | Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th...... read more read more
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CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – As the oldest Armor unit in the U.S. Army, the 66th Armor Regiment’s lineage dates back to the beginning of the tank service in February 1918 under the command of Col. George S. Patton, its history is rich and its legacy is deep.
The “Iron Knights” of 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, honored that rich history of lineage built by men and women before them by conducting a “Colonel Burt Challenge” April 6-9 at Camp Buehring in honor of Capt. James M. Burt, one of the regiment’s most coveted Armor officers in its history.
Burt was a Medal of Honor recipient for his valor during the Battle of Aachen in World War II as the commander of Company B, 66th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. He and his unit were in almost continuous combat since their arrival at Normandy Beach in June 1944.
Burt’s Medal of Honor citation is rare in the fact that he was awarded the medal not for only one specific act of valor, but for many during a 10-day period as the 2nd Armored Division, fought to take Aachen, Germany. The 3rd Battalion of the 66th Armored Regiment was nicknamed "Burt's Knights" and Burt was later named as honorary colonel of the regiment.
“The ‘Colonel Burt Challenge’ is a leader certification exercise developed to test the battalion’s leaders and Soldiers on basic Soldier tasks, develop esprit de corps and acknowledge the battalion and 66th Armor Regiment’s lineage,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael W. Moser, command sergeant major, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd ABCT, 4th Infantry Division.
Companies of the battalion nominated participants from their ranks to compete as 10-man teams. In order to compete in the challenge, participants had to meet baseline criteria of physical fitness, weapons qualification and medical task training.
The event was physically, mentally and spiritually exhausting and was designed to test the leadership ability of Soldiers and leaders within the battalion, said Moser.
“The reason we wanted to do this was so that we could establish a common base of leader certification, a test of skills that all leaders should be able to do,” said Lt. Col. Warren E. Sponsler, commander, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd ABCT. “We wanted to develop a challenging event that required Soldiers to dig deep inside themselves thereby building the strength necessary – much like Burt did – to preserve when times get rough.”
The challenge started with a combat-focused physical fitness course where each team received an overall time. Those times determined the order they competed in for the rest of the challenge. During the six-station physical training course, Soldiers had to transport four, five-gallon water containers to each station which included high and low crawls, weighted medical Skedco pulls, tire flips, a Humvee push, as well as base plate and battle buddy carries.
Later in the evening – following an alert to test expeditionary readiness – teams departed with their weapons and loaded ruck sacks to Camp Buehring’s Udairi Airfield where they deployed to the training area in MV-22 Ospreys from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 363, while 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 501st Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, AH-64 Apache helicopters provided overhead security for the mission.
Upon arrival to the training area, Soldiers navigated across the desert in their teams to conduct various warrior skills and training tests spread over a 16-km course focused on squad movement attacks, common weapon’s operations and employment, calls for indirect fire, communication skills, evaluating and treating casualties, reacting to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high yield explosives threats, sustainment skills and related M1 Abrams Tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles operational tasks. Each station began with a brief vignette from the regiment’s history and at times were historically themed and reenacted events.
There was also a leader reaction course in which Soldiers were tested on basic problem solving skills, memory and unit tactical standard operating procedures as well as an evaluation on their knowledge of the unit’s history and a test on the 66th Armor Regiment’s lineage.
The last event was a live M4 Carbine stress shoot where Soldiers employed marksmanship skills after a series of physical tasks. Teams were deducted time penalties for those tasks they failed to complete to standard.
“We had 120 ‘Iron Knight’ Soldiers complete the event and they were all awarded an Iron Knight belt buckle and certificates of achievement,” Moser said. “I think we accomplished what we wanted to and our Soldiers were definitely tested, but they persevered to complete the mission.”
The challenge began on Wednesday morning and the last team completed the stress shoot on Thursday afternoon – proving to be quite lengthy. Weather played a significant role for the later teams as temperatures topped 100 degrees, further testing each individual’s fortitude. The event tested the battalion’s Soldiers not only on individual warrior skills, but also their ability to work as a team, help each other out and fight through adversity.
Sponsler added, “As a testament, one of our infantry squad leaders stated that this challenge was the toughest event he had participated in during his 11 years of service.”
The challenge paid homage to the numerous heroic acts of Burt as he never faltered in determination. It also provided a better understanding of the risks he took to rescue wounded comrades and the fight he took to the Germans despite being wounded himself.
While honoring the lineage of the 66th Armor Regiment with the challenge the “Iron Knights” were also able to learn skills and gain self-gratification for completing the demanding event.
“Because of the variety of tasks we chose, it also allowed Soldiers from across the battalion to learn skills from the various units that make up the Combined Arms Team and to further gain an appreciation of what that team does collectively to accomplish our mission,” Moser said.
This is the second “Colonel Burt Challenge” the battalion has done with the first one held at Fort Carson, Colorado, last July. The “Iron Knights” plan to conduct another one later in the deployment.
The history of the 66th Armor Regiment began with its baptism by fire in World War I and carried on through its battles on Omaha Beach and advances throughout Europe during World War II. These actions were followed by its involvements in both the Cold and Korean Wars of the late 1940s and early 1950s and assistance in the liberation of Kuwait and the defeat the Iraqi army in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
The regiment’s legacy continued with the rescue of over 5,000 Cuban and Haitian refugees interned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 1995 and multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the global war on terror from 2003 to present day. The 66th Armor Regiment has done it all and continues to add to its history with 1st Battalion’s current deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield.
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2015 02:09 |
| Story ID: | 160000 |
| Location: | CAMP BUEHRING, KW |
| Web Views: | 758 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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