1-89 Cavalry conducts Spouses Spur Ride

By Sgt. Jennie Burrett

2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO NCOIC

Angie Dente, spouse of Maj. Fred Dente, operations officer in 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, gets muddy while low crawling under barbed wire at an obstacle course during a Spouses Spur Ride on post.

Photo by Sgt. Jennie Burrett

The Order of the Spur is a cavalry tradition in the Army. Soldiers serving with cavalry units are inducted into the Order of the Spur after successfully completing a series of physical and mental tests that evaluate leadership, technical and tactical proficiency, and the ability to operate as part of a team under high levels of stress and fatigue, known as a Spur Ride. The tradition of earning spurs dates back to the beginning of the cavalry. The 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, has expanded this tradition and made a tradition of their one by including spouses of their Soldiers into this kind of event. The squadron held a Spouses’ Spur Ride competition June 17 on Fort Drum so wives could earn their own version of the coveted cavalry spurs that their husbands have earned. “We want to show the wives what the Soldiers do in the squadron,” said 2nd Lt. Randy Shed, platoon leader for 1st Platoon, C Troop, 1-89 Cavalry. “It gives them a window into the lives of their Soldier. They get a better appreciation for what their spouses do every day, and they understand why their spouses sometimes work long days and nights.”Spouses had to work as a team to complete tasks such as land navigation, a humvee driving course, an obstacle course and an advancing on the enemy scenario. They also had to eat a “Meal Ready to Eat,” wear the gear and carry a weapon just like their Soldier.“I think it will open up their eyes on what the Soldiers do on a daily basis when we going out to the field,” said 1st Sgt. Eric Rees, first sergeant for D Troop, 1-89 Cavalry. “They get to do what we do and eat what we eat, and it will make them appreciate it a little more. The biggest thing about this event is that they get a better perspective of where we sit.” “It is good to know what they do and nice to get hands on of what they do on a day-to-day basis,” said Becky Rees, 1st Sgt. Rees’s wife and a participant in the Spouses Spur Ride. “It is neat to see what our spouses – our Soldiers – go through, and instead of just hearing about it, we get to do it.”Wives hear their husbands talk about the military all the time but now they get to try the events they hear about.“Going through this spur ride, I am getting more of a feel for what my husband does instead of him just telling me,” said Daphne Rodriguez, wife of Sgt. Danny Rodriquez, C Troop, 1-89 Cavalry. During the spur ride, Soldiers coached their spouses during all the tasks.“The goal for this spur ride is to have the spouses get an idea of what their spouses do when they go out to the field,” said Sgt. 1st Class Keith Richard, an operations sergeant in 1-89 Cavalry. “This event also gives the Soldiers more time with their Families.”

Curtesy of:

Fort Drum Mountaineer