Crazy Horse Troop FCP link.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
...the latest from FCP's friend, Cpt. Sam Cook...
It's nice to contextualize these singular troop updates with the broader themes that are being reported by the Press Establishment. Even nicer when they are folks we know. In Sam's words, within the first post.
Crazy Horse Troop FCP link.
Crazy Horse Troop FCP link.
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Cpt. Cook's 11/15/2007 Newsletter update:
"Dear Family of Friends of Crazyhorse Troop:
On 9 November, the Soldiers of Crazyhorse Troop departed for Kuwait to begin preparation for combat operations in Iraq. We have 129 Soldiers in Kuwait preparing our equipment for shipment to Iraq while we complete final training on our weapons systems. I would like to thank-you for all of support that you have provided over the past year, and more importantly, the critical support you will provide while we are deployed for the next 15 months. Allow me to briefly summarize what your Troopers have accomplished over the past eighteen months preparing for this vital mission.
On 22 May, 2006, I took command of this Troop in Ft. Carson, Colorado. The 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment had just returned from Iraq in March of 2006. The Department of the Army re-assigned the Regiment to Ft. Hood, Texas, where we would stand up the unit and field the newest Army equipment. Due to the move to Ft. Hood, we lost over 85% of the Troop to other assignments (many Soldiers remained at Ft. Carson). In July, I moved with 15 other veterans of the troop from Iraq to begin building the new troop. First Sergeant Livingston joined the Troop in May and immediately moved to Ft. Hood to prepare for our arrival. First Sergeant Livingston spent 15 months in Baghdad with a Task Force Scout Platoon from 1-36 Infantry of the First Armored Division in 2003 – 2004. I also was fortunate to have 1LT Matt McKee as my Executive Officer (he had to dodge two generals who tried to take him as an aide). 1LT McKee served as a tank and scout platoon leader in Crazyhorse Troop during the recent deployment.
When I sat down with 1LT McKee and 1SG Livingston, we mapped out our deployment training plan to get ready for war the following year. We identified three critical phases. The first phase, from August – December 2006, we would receive most of our new Soldiers. During this time, we focused almost exclusively on building a distinct culture in our Troop that emphasized strict discipline, high physical fitness, teamwork, individual weapons mastery, and life-saving medical skills. The Second Phase, from January – March 2007, we would focus on fielding and training on our new M1A2 Sep Tanks, M3A3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles, and the new Mortar Fire Control System. The final, and most important phase, was conducting platoon and troop collective training to put together all of the skills necessary to fight in Iraq – this lasted from April – August 2007.
In August, 2006, we began to receive our first wave of new Soldiers. Due to the small size of the Troop, we conducted intensive collective physical training where 1SG Livingston and I set out to establish a high standard for fitness. For those Soldiers here during that time, they will remember fondly the extreme muscle failure training and the long runs during those hot Texas summer mornings. In September, we began to add extensive training on our Rifles and machine guns. 1SG and I adopted a policy no less than one weapons range per week. We also pushed our Soldiers through the week long Army Combat Lifesaver program. At the beginning of October, we brought the Ft. Benning Marksmanship Training team to train 20 of our Soldiers (and many others in the rest of the Squadron) on advanced rifle marksmanship. This set the foundation for excellence in marksmanship and also provided critical training for our Soldiers we sent to Sniper school. In November, 2007, the Troop – consisting of 80 Soldiers at this point – deployed to West Texas for 11 days to serve as the Ground maneuver force for the Aviation Squadron’s Evaluation Exercise. Over this period, we conducted continuous mounted patrols across West Texas to help the AH-64 Apache Helicopters find enemy teams. During this time, also we conducted intensive individual training on medical skills, calling for indirect fire, communications training, and team physical fitness events. By Christmas Leave, we had conducted almost 20 days of training at the range on various weapons systems, and qualified all of our Soldiers on Combat Life Saving Techniques, as well as certifying all of our Soldiers on the new communication equipment we fielded.
In January, we entered the second phase – field and training our new equipment. This phase was even more demanding and intensive than the previous one. Due to tight requirements, we worked Six days a week for two months. The 9 Tank crews conducted a 30 day long gunnery training exercise where we went through all preliminary tables and qualified on Tank Table VIII. The crews performed with distinction, qualifying eight of nine on the first run. Four crews shot a superior score (over 800 out of 1000 points). The Scouts began gunnery in March, and also performed with distinction. Ten crews qualified the first time on Bradley Table VIII, and C-31 and C-55 (vehicles) both qualified their crews with a perfect score. We finished this phase by conducting collective platoon gunnery tables followed by a Troop Live fire that lasted over a period of 3 days. During this training event, despite extreme rain and flooding, the troop performed magnificently. I was shocked at how far the Soldiers came during such a short, intensive period. As a Platoon leader, we took six months to accomplish what the Soldiers did in just 3 months.
In April, we began the most critical phase – developing platoons and the troop’s ability to fight counterinsurgency warfare. In a counterinsurgency, killing the enemy is easy, but finding him is damn near impossible! We had mastered the easy part – killing effectively. Now we had to conduct the training that would allow us to find the enemy, seize them if possible instead of killing them, and collecting the evidence necessary for putting them away in the Iraqi court system. During gunnery, we started training select Soldiers with the Military Intelligence company in the Regiment. I also established a partnership with the Austin Police Department. They came to Ft. Hood for 3 days and helped us conduct training on SWAT tactics for conducting urban warfare. Also, they came in and taught our Soldiers about evidence collection and handling, tactical questioning, and securing prisoners. 1LT Matt McKee also brought 1LT Bert Eisler – a classmate of his from West Point – in to train our Soldiers on conducting raids. We conducted this training event with paint ammunition, which allowed us to conduct real force-on-force battle.
After this training event, we sent our leaders and Soldiers to conduct ride-alongs with the Austin Police Department Organized Crime Division to learn how to conduct investigations of criminal networks. In Iraq, the insurgency operates almost like a mafia – albeit with far more violent methods. We followed this training with platoon and troop external evaluations conducted by the Squadron. Over eight days, we honed our investigative skills and our ability to conduct raids to seize insurgents without upsetting the local population. In May, the Troop conducted a joint training event in Austin with the Organized Crime and SWAT units. Over two days, the Austin Police trained us on breaching doors, close quarters shooting, and advanced sniper training. This was easily the best training event that I have ever attended, which speaks to the professionalism and dedication of these fine Police units.
In June, the Troop completed the collective training phase by operating for a month in the desert of California at Ft. Irwin, California, as part of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment’s Mission rehearsal exercise for Iraq. This intensive training program put on by the Army introduced the Soldiers to the latest technology being used in Iraq. We also conducted more platoon and troop level training, as well as a Troop Urban Operations Live Fire, which involved shooting live ammunition in buildings while other units conducted long range sniper engagements and engaged short range targets with rifles and machine guns. During the mission rehearsal phase, the troop operated continuously in combat operations for 9 days, enduring 120 degree temperatures and little sleep. They had to contend with Iraqi civilians, enemy attacks, and being able to gather the intelligence to attack the enemy without angering the local population. We also faced complex tribal and religious dynamics that simulated what we will face in Iraq. The Troopers performed magnificently during this time, and we came out of this training event confident in our ability to fight together against a tough, elusive enemy.
Since July, when we returned, we have focused on preparing our equipment for combat, loading it onto trains, and conducting individual training to maintain our skills on medical, machine guns, grenades, Rifle, and pistol training. We also focused on affording Soldiers enough time to preparing themselves and their families for the upcoming deployment. The schedule was intense. I have not served in a unit with a higher operational tempo than what we endured over the past eighteen months. Despite the hardship, the Soldiers bonded into cohesive, lethal, and discipline fighting platoons.
I would like to invite all of you to visit our Family Readiness Group website www.crazyhorsetroop.org and view our Troop video. It tells the story over the unit over the past eighteen months far more effectively than I could in writing. The pictures and videos highlight all the great work your Troopers have done over the past eighteen months preparing for combat. It also shows us in some of our lighter moments – First Sergeant tries to limit these! It ends with portraits of the platoons that make up this troop. It concludes with a troop portrait from both 2007, and 1878. You will see that not much has changed. Since 1 September, 1846, this Troop has been at the front lines fighting our nation’s wars.
Today we begin our journey into Iraq. We count on your continued support as we embark on this tough mission. This unit is like a second family to all of us, and I would like to invite all of you to join with us as part of the extended family as we ride into combat.
Brave Rifles!
Samuel P.N. Cook
CPT, U.S. Cavalry
Commanding
C Troop, 1st Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment
The Family Cook is quite remarkable. And they don't need to go to Lowe's for a Family Tree.
I've already told Sam via e-mail that I self-appointed myself as one of Crazy Horse Troop's civilian historians.
Can we count on AI, AA, and JJ to crunch numbers if needed?
Keep track of your hours, too. We'll just send the collective FCP invoice to the Pentagon.
Aye, will do Captain.
Hello from Staff Sargent Waylon Meurs mother. Just wanting you all to know you're in my prayers daily. I really love the sites you guys have created, it helps me alot to be able to go and read your progress. Keep up the good work, and please stay safe.
Janis Meakins
Fulton, IL.
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