Photo By Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke | U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christopher S. Mahaffey, commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Tim...... read more read more
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MANNHEIM, GERMANY – The second unit from 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team cased their colors signifying the end of their six-month deployment in Europe in support of Atlantic Resolve, a U.S. led effort in Eastern Europe that demonstrates the U.S. commitment to the collective security of NATO and enduring peace and stability in the region.
5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st ABCT, performed the ceremony at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany Sept. 9, 2016. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, Commander of United States Army Europe, oversaw the ceremony.
The unit spent their deployment in Hungary, Poland and Germany. While there they executed a cavalry scout led combined training center rotation in Germany with minimal support from their parent BCT. During exercise Anakonda 16, 5-7 CAV was able to improve their interoperability skills by leading Lithuanian and Croatian companies and working with a Polish brigade.
They continued working side-by-side with NATO allies while in Hungary.
“Hungarian infantry soldiers dismounted out of the back of our Bradley’s during a live fire exercise, while our squadron was fighting simultaneously; great to watch,” said Lt. Col. Christopher S. Mahaffey, commander of 5-7 CAV. “It was also great to watch the junior leaders interact.”
“I’ve got almost 20 years in, but these young lieutenants have 20 years left in them. So to have them make a relationship with a Croatian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, a Kosovar, and a Polish soldier and to have that carry on 10-15 years down the road when they’re Majors and Lieutenant Colonels – priceless,” he added.
The USAREUR commanding general congratulated the squadron and shared some insight on the importance of the deployment.
“If there ever is a crisis here in Europe, we won’t have five or six months to get ready for it, we’ll have 5 or 6 days,” said Lieutenant General Ben Hodges. “It’s not likely, but the best way to keep it unlikely is us always showing that we are ready and we can move fast from port to equipment to the field and getting into a crouched posture. That’s how we deter a crisis from ever happening.”
“I’m sure that the possible enemies of our country, they look at and see units like this squadron,” he said. “They say to themselves – it’s not worth it.”
The Warpaint cavalry scouts stood proud with their colors cased knowing that they and their allied partners became better trained and better able to be operate with NATO forces, allies and partners.
“We accomplished all of this with our partners and have made friends and built relationships with Kosovar, Polish, Lithuanian, Croatian, and Hungarian troopers that will last a lifetime,” concluded Mahaffey.
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2016 15:21 |
| Story ID: | 209329 |
| Location: | MANNHEIM, DE |
| Web Views: | 403 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 5-7 CAV, 1 ABCT, 3rd ID cases colors concluding Atlantic Resolve 2016 rotation, by SSG Micah VanDyke, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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