Camaraderie found through shared hardships

Photo By Sgt. Jesse Smith | A Soldier from the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade crawls through a sand pit May 29 at the Freedom Field on Camp Humphreys in the Republic of Korea. The event was part of a physical training obstacle.  

CAMP HUMPHREYS, 41, SOUTH KOREA

05.31.2015

Story by Sgt. Jesse Smith 

2nd Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – The Soldiers stood up straight with their hands at their sides. Laid directly in front of them was a pit of sand and water covered by a camouflage net like a canopy over a deck. They had dragged water jugs and each other under that netting. To their left was a fake horse stable where they had removed all of the dirt and to their right a fake cannon which they had positioned to combat a fake enemy. All of these objects were used as obstacles for the Soldiers. They still stood there with the mud caked to their uniforms and their voices loud. “Halfway down the trail to hell ... ”

The Soldiers were from the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade and, along with their Republic of Korea army counterparts, had just completed the physical training portion of a "Spur Ride," a U.S. cavalry tradition, on May 29 at the Freedom Field on Camp Humphreys in the Republic of Korea.

Spc. Benjamin J. Shin, a powertrain repairer for the 2-6th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd CAB, was one of the Soldiers who completed the "Spur Ride."

“It is one of the oldest traditions in the Army,” Shin said. “It allows us to prove to our unit what we are made of.”

The "Spur Ride" consisted of several different events the Soldiers had to complete to include water training, survival, weapon assembly, care under fire, vehicle recovery, physical training, an eight-mile ruck march and they had to set up a forward ammo and refueling point.

“The most difficult event was definitely the ruck march,” Shin said. “It was the very last obstacle and we were already drained.”

Command Sgt. Maj. Gerardo Gonzalez, the 2-6th Cavalry Regiment command sergeant major, was another Soldier who completed the "Spur Ride."

“We completed a variety of cavalry tasks with a large dose of camaraderie through shared hardships,” Gonzalez said. “The entire experience brought the unit closer together.”

Gonzalez said he was in a cavalry unit when he was a junior enlisted Soldier, but when he became a noncommissioned officer was never able to be a part of this longstanding tradition.

“It is a great feeling to finally be a part of the brotherhood of the spur,” Gonzalez said. “This was a long time coming for me.”

Being able to go through these events now with his troopers, Gonzalez said he was able to feel the same pain and failures his Soldiers were feeling which made him feel closer to them. One of the more painful events for Gonzalez’s team was the water training.

The water training, which was run by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen Mestas, the standardization instructor pilot and a spur holder with the Troop C, 2-6th Cavalry Regiment, was a difficult event for untrained swimmers.

“All of the Soldiers did outstanding,” Mestas said. “Regardless of their abilities, they came out and showed the teamwork that we wanted to see.”

Mestas received his spurs back in 1999, and said that not much has changed in the "Spur Ride" tradition.

“When you came to a cavalry unit, this is what you wanted to do,” Mestas said. “This was the next level, and after this you get to pass on your knowledge as a mentor.”

The troopers and ROKA soldiers finished the event with breakfast and the presentation of their spurs. Each team had to recite the cavalry poem from memory. They had been worn down and tired out, but every Soldier was as loud as a helicopter spinning its blades and ended with “... and go to Fiddler’s Green!”

• Date Taken: 05.31.2015
• Date Posted: 05.30.2015 18:07
• Story ID: 164992
• Location: CAMP HUMPHREYS, 41, KR