Cavalry troop 'Dominates' regimental birthday competition

Photo By Spc. Nathan Franco | U.S. Army Pfc. Joshua Hansen, assigned to 1st Cavalry, 3rd Brigade, 9th Cavalry Regiment, HHT, sticks a fellow soldier with an IV on July 15, 2011, at Contingency Operating Base Delta, in Wasit province, Iraq. Combat medics like Hansen remain on standby as a safety precaution during a competition being held by 9th Cavalry in celebration of their 145th Birthday. (Photo by Spc. Nathan Franco)  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE DELTA, IRAQ

07.25.2011

Courtesy Story

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq – To celebrate the birthday of the 9th Cavalry Regiment July 25, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division conducted a rigorous platoon challenge on Contingency Operating Base Delta.

The competition was designed to physically and mentally challenge each soldier and entice other squadrons of the regiment to join in the years to come.

The race began with a marksmanship range at 5 a.m., where soldiers fired the M9 pistol and the M4 rifle.

Teams ran a 4,500-meter course that included buddy carries, tire flips, Humvee pull, movement-to-contact and ended with a quiz on the history of the 9th Cav. Regt. Each task had to be performed in a timely manner, to standard.

“The competition ran smoothly, and the competitors gave it their upmost despite the early morning and the painstaking events,” said 2nd Lt. Jefferson Kramer, the officer in charge of the competition with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 6th Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt., and a native of New Haven, Conn.

The competitors pushed, pulled, ran and shot with temperatures reaching 110 degrees by the end of the day. The events were extremely taxing on even the most physically fit soldiers.

“We put a good team together, and I think we did a good job of working together and pulling through this thing. It definitely wasn’t easy. We are very proud of our effort,” said Staff Sgt. Thomas Arnold of Company D, and an Athens, Ga., native.

The competition was fierce, but in the end, only one team came out on top.

Company D “Dominators” won the competition, finishing five minutes faster than the other teams. Though the team did not have the best score on every event, they were propelled into first place by completing the course five minutes faster than the nearest competitor.

“We knew we were the only team that wasn’t a Cavalry MOS, so we knew we had something to prove to everyone,” said Sgt. 1st Class Deunte Stringfellow, with Company D.

• Date Taken: 07.25.2011
• Date Posted: 08.06.2011 05:15
• Story ID: 74947
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE DELTA, IQ