Photo By Sgt. Maj. Christopher Klutts | Soldiers from Regimental Support Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment conduct the...... read more read more
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FORT IRWIN, Calif. - Soldiers from the Regimental Support Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment participated in the RSS Maintenance and Truck Rodeo here Dec. 3-4.
"The purpose of the rodeo is to give our Soldiers the opportunity to show off their maintenance and driving skills," said Chief Warrant Officer Jeff Swein, the RSS squadron motor officer and officer-in-charge of the competition.
The 58th Engineer Company, 511th Military Intelligence Company, Supply and Transportation Company, and Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, RSS, all sent teams of ten Soldiers to represent their respective units and participate in the rodeo.
Trophies were awarded by Lt. Col. Andrew C. Cooper, the Regimental Support Squadron commander, to the winning team of the No Fuel Rally, the best drivers, and the best overall team.
The Rodeo started with Soldiers taking the Army Physical Fitness Test in the Army Combat Uniform. After the test, they foot marched from the Cpt. Harold A. Fritz Memorial soccer field to the Regimental horse stables.
Once at the horse stables, the competition continued with timed events testing the Soldier's mission essential tasks list skills, including recovering a rolled over vehicle in a simulated minefield.
"We were all picked for specific events on our team," said Pfc. Trevor R. Hall, a Gainesville, Fla., native, now a mechanic with Maintenance Platoon, Supply and Transportation Company. "I was picked for the recovery event. Even though my team out ranked me, they trusted me to make decisions about rolling the truck over."
Pfc. Hall, and the rest of the Supply and Transportation Troop team, went on to be named the rodeo's Best Overall Team. They weren't the only Soldiers who had a game plan coming into the competition.
The team from the 58th Engineer Company found out about the competition three weeks beforehand and started training for it during and after work, said Pvt. Brian J. Kear, a Saint Cloud, Fla., native, now a heavy construction equipment operator with the 58th Engineer Company. Four Soldiers from the 58th Engineer Company team went on to win the Best Driver titles.
The last event of the rodeo was the No Fuel Rally. Soldiers pushed a Humvee to different stations set up in the Supply and Transportation Troop motor pool. At each station, judges gave the Soldiers tasks to perform on the vehicle. The team that completed all tasks, and pushed the Humvee over the finish line the fastest, won the rally.
Despite having two teammates injured the day before and on crutches for the event, the 511th Military Intelligence Company won the No Fuel Rally.
"Each person had something to do at each station on the rally," said Pfc. Katia J. Floyd, who is assigned to Headquarters Platoon, 511th Military Intelligence Company. "We definitely had a plan going into it. Pushing the HMMWV uphill was the most intense part of the whole thing."
Chief Warrant Officer Swein said that this was the first rodeo put on by the Regimental Support Squadron, but he hopes that he can help out in another before he leaves Fort Irwin.
"The event was a competition," said Sgt. Victor A. Ballesteros, a supply non-commissioned officer with the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, RSS team. "Everyone was out here giving their best, and we worked as a team the whole time."
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2009 13:56 |
| Story ID: | 42839 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, US |
| Web Views: | 523 |
| Downloads: | 294 |
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