101st Airborne Division: Division’s cavalry squadrons gather to build esprit de corps
Sgt. James M. Griffin 1st Brigade Combat Team
Cavalry squadrons from all three 101st Airborne Division brigade combat teams came together Tuesday to participate in this year’s Cavalry Week events on the division parade field.
Cavalry Week is an annual event that provides an opportunity for Fort Campbell’s cavalry squadrons to interact with each other, share lessons learned, participate in some physical fitness events and build up the camaraderie of the cavalry community, said Lt. Col. Adisa T. King, commander, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Abn. Div.
This year is unique in that all three of the division’s squadrons were able to attend.
Tuesday was the first time Pfc. Samual Eggen, cavalry scout, A Troop, 1-32nd Cav. Regt., has attended an Army squadron-level event.
When Eggen arrived on the division parade field he did not quite know what to expect aside from knowing everyone would be going on a run, he said.
Eggen had no idea what he was about to witness. He, like the other Soldiers, stood in formation waiting in the cold darkness on the wet grass of the parade field.
Somewhere to his left Eggen heard the command “double time” and the entire formation began to run. “I didn’t really realize how many people were running in the event until I crested the first hill,” he said. “The formation was huge and I had never been a part of anything that big before.”
The formation made it almost 2 miles into the run when Eggen heard something that made him look up. Above the chanting columns of Soldiers thundered 12 AH-64 Apache helicopters in a V formation.
With cadences booming from his fellow Soldiers and helicopters flying overhead, the pain in his legs and the biting cold faded away, Eggen said.
Specialist Harley Millard, infantryman, C Troop, 1-32nd Cav. Regt., said when the helicopters flew over the formation during the run, the whole atmosphere changed.
“When the flyover happened it pumped everybody’s spirits up,” he said. “The cadences got a little louder and everyone got a little more motivated and feeling good.”
As the formation began it to head back to the parade field each squadron took a turn leading the formation, Millard said. As the squadrons switched, other squadrons would line the road and cheer. His squadron started the run as the last element and ended the run as the lead.
After the run, the Soldiers prepared for a sports competition between the three cavalry squadrons.
Eggen stood at the sidelines and cheered as his fellow 1-32nd Cav. Regt. cavalrymen competed in an intense game of flickerball, a fast-paced team sport much like Ultimate Frisbee combined with rugby, in which two teams attempt to pass a soccer ball through a two-foot square goal. It was at that moment Eggen realized what Cavalry Week meant to him.
“It’s about pride in who we are. We are a very small percentage of the Army, but we have one of the most important jobs, appreciating that and trying to be better is part of it,” he said. “But, also realizing that a lot of people came before us that we need to appreciate. They paved the way and we need to bring attention back to them.”
Cavalry Week felt just as important to Millard as it did to the cavalry scouts.
“Cavalry Week is about honoring those who came before us and keeping the legacy of our squadron alive,” he said.
The flickerball competition provided the perfect opportunity for Soldiers from the division’s three cavalry squadrons to enjoy each other’s company and build esprit de corps.
“Everyone was trying to win and being really competitive,” Millard said. “But at the end of the day we are all on the same team and we are bonded by that competitive spirit.”
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