Posted on Apr 22, 2014
Are Spur Rides and "Prop-blasts," still something that should be on the training calendar?
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The "right of passage." Whether it's "earning your spurs," or surviving the "prop-blast," these traditions have been with us since the 70's and 80's. In today's Army, are these events still something that units should be doing and why? Why is this sort of thing no longer acceptable? Why is it important to maintain these as tradition? What problems have you seen?
Tradition
Training
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 14
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Damn right they need to be maintained....I conducted my Spur Ride in Fulda, FRG in the 11th ACR in Sept '92 and assisted with another 6 over the remainder of my career; it is OUR (the Armor Community's) Excellence Program, while not an official award per ones ERB/ORB, it is no less important to us than the EIB and EFMB are to the Infantryman or Medic. It is up to the younger members of the Armor Community to maintain and improve this time-honored tradition as well as the Order of St. George program.
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SFC William Swartz Jr
Allons!! Ya'll are currently entertaining my middle son and his BDE from 1st ID, it's his first trip to Ft. Irwin and they will be heading to Kuwait for a 9-month deployment in June, soooooo "TREAT 'EM ROUGH!!"
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CPT Jacob Swartout
Allons! I am regimentally affiliated with the Blackhorse Regiment! Spur ride with them in 2000 at Ft Irwin.
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and...yes...as an Armor Officer and Cavalry Commander, this one is very relevant for me and the Squadron
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I honestly have seen no problems with the spur ride. I earned my spurs with 6-6 Cav at Ft. drum in 2010 and thought the spur ride was a fun and exciting, albeit grueling, way to integrate new members to the team. I'm not cav, but after being embraced by the cav and embracing the cav in return I think these sort of traditions should be held on to. It is of the utmost importance to make new team members feel like they belong and also to make them realize the full weight of what they are about to undertake. After experiencing the spur ride, I wish more units outside of the cav did something similar that was equally fun and rigorous.
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