To the Utmost: Rigorous Training Forms Strong Bonds for 2CR Squad

"He's slowing down."

A squad of five 2nd Cavalry Regiment Soldiers watched their last member race around the railhead at Rose Barracks. The sun was unusually aggressive for so early in the morning, and, weighted down in full "battle rattle," the Soldier's pace was indeed slowing. Covered in sweat, with his own heart rate still dropping from finishing an intense workout, the squad's leader, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jordan Behr, raced out to meet his Soldier and cheer him on.

"Match my pace," Behr shouted.

The Soldier, Pfc. Phillip Kunde, didn't speak, but he did speed up. He ran alongside Behr to the finish. The squad crashed down in the shade of nearby trees to shed their plate carriers and helmets and debrief from the exercise. Only weeks before, these Soldiers had been total strangers, thrown together in order to compete in the V Corps Best Squad Competition.

"We've all grown pretty close, I would say," Kunde said. " I feel like we can work as a team really well, which probably gives us a good advantage over the other teams that maybe haven't been working together as long as we have."

The squad had won a decisive victory at the V Corps level, but the trials didn't end there. They now had a new purpose, and those strangers had become a tight-knit group.

"The thing that really unifies us is the common goal of winning the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Best Squad Competition," Behr said. "Everybody has different backgrounds, everybody has different experiences. Almost everybody has a different MOS. It's a big melting pot. Everybody's from different Squadrons, as well, so we didn't really know each other at all at the start of this competition. As we've been training and working together it's been a lot of understanding where people's weaknesses and strengths lie."

That variation in skill and background was used by Behr when designing the training regimen for the squad. As they learned one another's weaknesses, the squad shifted their focus to what deficiencies they needed to make up for or improve upon. Conversely, they also learned which members of the squad performed best in different areas.

While looking over a topographical map the team used for Call for Fire training, Kunde admitted that while some of the physical challenges were immense, he shined most when tackling the tactics-based warrior tasks and battle drills, which will be an integral part of the upcoming competition.

"Everything we do pushes you to your physical and mental limit," Kunde said. "It not only shows you how far you can go, but it also helps you just be a better Soldier."

Every morning, the squad conducts rigorous physical training sessions, focusing on a balance of anaerobic and aerobic exercises with the intent of building a reservoir of endurance they can tap into during the long, grueling competition. They then break for lunch, usually spending it together. They have developed a cohesive rhythm with one another, forming naturally from hours upon hours of intense training. Throughout their weeks of training, the squad has talked endlessly, with discussion topics ranging from home-cooked meal recipes to debating who introduced the most intense physical training ideas into their regimen. They determined it might be their team leader, Sgt. William Hogarth, an expert runner who constantly pushes the squad to improve their run times.

"Sorry, I want to see you guys win," Hogarth exclaimed, laughing.

Hogarth continued by noting that, though he doesn't personally believe that any other competing squads representing units from across USAREUR-AF are training as rigorously as them, it's important to think that they are. Working against these imaginary squads is part of what motivates them, alongside improving themselves and encouraging each other.

"I think something about what we're doing is not getting big heads about it and thinking that all the teams are better than us," Hogarth said. "That way, we keep pushing ourselves. That way, during the competition, we're better than them."

After lunch, the squad reconvenes for more training. They are familiar with what they were tested on during the V Corps Best Squad Competition and have prepared accordingly, practicing land navigation, tactical combat casualty care, marksmanship, and completing Spot Reports, among many other tasks. The biggest focus was, in addition to increased physical training, looking at what had been the most difficult part of the V Corps competition and focusing on what they could improve upon in the time they were given.

It is an arduous schedule, but the squad members expressed little dismay when discussing the time they have spent together. Outside of their common goal of victory in the competition, each squad member had a different motivation for what drove them. Bragging rights was one, preparing for Ranger School another. For Behr, what hung over him most of all was considering his reputation, and fulfilling the obligation he felt towards his Soldiers and his commanders.

"The biggest challenge comes from, primarily, the stakes," Behr said. "Ours commands allowed us the opportunity to train daily for this competition. The stakes are high because if we don't win, it will feel like a disservice to those who have given us the time and resources to continue carrying the 2nd Cavalry Regiment's legacy in these competitions."

Such a consistent training regimen is fairly unique, even for the members of the squad coming from infantry units. It is an opportunity to cement their basic Soldier skills into their bodies and minds, and is one that the squad members have not taken for granted.

"We don't get a lot of this after basic training, and I think this is really good for Soldiers," Spc. Warrisi Abiola said. "I think that's the motivation for me every day. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I use that as a motivation."

On one of their last mornings of training, the squad lay once more in the shade of trees after a weighted seven-mile ruck. One Soldier mentioned that he fell behind after their first few miles were at too fast a pace. Behr responded that the group needed to stay together, and they would adjust accordingly. The squad had worked hard at removing ego from their regimen so that they were improving their abilities, not hindering them.

"Nobody really wants to admit that they need help, and I think that's a general thing for most people," Behr said. "Everybody wants to think that they can do it, but then there comes a point where physically you just need a hand. That's where the team is more important."

Back in the shade of the trees after their rigorous physical training session, smiles and laughter came easily to the team. The rigors of their schedule and the demands of the upcoming competition felt distant. For the time being, their training felt personal, their requirements only to themselves and one another.

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