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    Geronimo Scouts return after Gainey Cup competition

    Geronimo Scouts return after Gainey Cup competition

    Photo By Chuck Cannon | Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, commander, Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk...... read more read more

    FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES

    05.17.2019

    Story by Chuck Cannon 

    Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office

    FORT POLK, La. — Eight Scouts from Dog Troop, 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment “Geronimos” returned to Fort Polk May 4 from the Gainey Cup Best Scout Squad Competition held at Fort Benning, Georgia from April 30 to May 3.
    The competition pitted 25 squads from the U.S. Army, Army National Guard, German Army, Dutch Army and British Army against one another in a grueling test of basic Scout skills.
    “This competition challenged us mentally and physically,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Liderbach, squad leader for the Geronimo team. “I’m very proud of the effort the squad put into it and the results we obtained.”
    Capt. Michael Glass, commander, D Troop, 1st Bn, 509th Inf Reg, said since being selected to lead his squad to the Gainey Cup in December, Liderbach has planned, resourced and executed a myriad of training events to prepare his Soldiers for the competition. The preparation included land navigation, call for fire, advanced rifle marksmanship, vehicle identification and communications.
    Glass said it was an honor to welcome his Soldiers back into the troop where they can put what they learned from the Gainey Cup into practice.
    “It’s not every day you get to asses yourself against the entire Army,” Glass said. “I’m proud of the immense effort the squad has put forth to prepare themselves for the competition while still continuing to support our rotational opposing force requirements.”
    Pfc. Quentin Smith, one of the junior members of the team, said it was interesting to see how units and nations sometimes took different paths to reach the same result.
    “Everyone has a different way of doing things and it was interesting to see that there can sometimes be more than one solution,” Smith said. “As long as it worked, and you could complete your mission, that was great.”
    Smith said that after completing the competition, he was more confident in their ability to accomplish their mission as the JRTC opposing forces.
    “I came back with more knowledge that I can share with my platoon,” he said. “We are already having classes teaching others in the unit what we have learned.”
    Sgt. Mitchell Blackwood, the squad’s team leader, participated in the Gainey Cup in 2015, and noted how dramatically the event had changed since that time.
    “This year’s competition focused much more on mounted skills as opposed to last time which was entirely dismounted,” Blackwood said.
    Glass said Blackwood’s observations about the Gainey Cup are an indication of how dynamic the 19D military operational specialty — cavalry scout — can be. Operating as the opposing force in rotational exercises at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Dog Troop Scouts take on missions ranging from tank platoon attacks to special purpose force disruptions. Glass said the Gainey Cup experience would help refocus Dog Troop’s training on essential Scout skills for the foreseeable future.
    Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank welcomed the Scouts back to JRTC and Fort Polk and presented each Soldier with a coin. He complemented them on their taking on the Gainey Cup challenge while still maintaining their up tempo work in the JRTC “box.”
    “Most teams were practicing in the two weeks prior to the competition,” Frank told the Scouts. He then asked, “What were you guys doing two weeks prior (to the competition)?”
    “We were in the box,” the Soldiers answered in unison.
    “That says something,” Frank said. “You guys have just set the new standard for Geronimo. We’re proud of you guys.”
    Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Wilson, JRTC Operations Group command sergeant major, also addressed the troops.
    “You’ll see everyone of the teams you competed against in the box over the next few months and we’ll see who’s better then,” he said, drawing laughter from the Scouts. “It’s like being the New York Yankees — you have a target on your back. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
    Liderbach agreed.
    “There is a lot of motivation on our part to show the ones who finished ahead of us, when they come here for a rotation, that we can take them,” he said. “It was a great experience for me, testing my knowledge, and showed me where I need to improve. It also showed the skill level Geronimo had across all skill levels.”
    Geronimo Scouts from D Troop, 1/509th Inf Reg who competed in the 2019 Gainey Cup included: Pfc. Austin Solomon, Spc. William Treadway, Staff Sgt. Jason Liderbach, Spc. Darwin Ongy, Spc. Caleb Morse, Pfc. Quentin Smith, Sgt. Mitchell Blackwood and Spc. Ben Watts.

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.17.2019
    Date Posted: 05.17.2019 10:48
    Story ID: 322763
    Location: FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US

    Web Views: 94
    Downloads: 0

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