NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – U.S. Army Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and Bulgarian Soldiers from 61 Mechanized Battalion participates in a spur ride to earn silver spurs, a coveted and symbolic achievement for the cavalry, Sept. 7-8, 2018.
The two day multinational event consisted of a ruck march, Army Physical Fitness Test, weapons skills lane, call for fire lane, medical and communications lane, a CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense) lane, and multiple other team building exercises followed by a board of spur holders to test each team on their knowledge of Calvary history and other military facts.
“In the Cavalry we don’t forget who we are,” said U.S. Army Maj. Steven Pyles, 2-5 CAV's executive officer and spur holder, “We have these little traditions to remind us of all the people who have paved the way to make this country great. As for the newly awarded spur holders, I feel this will inspire them to continue on with their service to the nation.”
Earning your spurs is something that even long time spur holders don’t soon forget.
“It’s a great feeling because you’ve worked hard for however long the spur ride takes,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Carsen Clark, a lane walker and spur holder.
“The spurs are very coveted not only for deploying with a cavalry unit where you earn your gold spurs, but earning your silver spurs shows that you can be apart of a team; you can work with others that you have never spoken to before under stressful conditions and accomplish any mission,” said Clark, who also received golden spurs after returning home from an Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) deployment to Afghanistan in 2012.
With a focus on teamwork and esprit de corp, the spur ride has strengthened the relationship between its participating U.S. and Bulgarian Army soldiers.
“Celebrating our traditions and our heroes in Bulgaria is a big deal,” said Bulgarian Army Lt. Kristian Genov, from 61st Mechanized Battalion, “It’s a huge honor for us to participate in this American tradition.”
“Completing such a difficult task with our Bulgarian allies creates bonds of trust and shared traditions,” said U.S. Army Capt. Jonathan Kasprisin, 2-5 CAV's operations officer and spur holder.
"These traditions will be brought along to the next combined exercise," said Kasprisin.