Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013
Gainey Cup to kick off
The Army’s top Cavalry Scouts will compete at Fort Benning to determine the best Cavalry Scout team in the Army during the inaugural Gainey Cup Competition March 2-5.
“The four-day event will test competitors’ physical fitness and mastery of Cavalry Scout skills to include day and night live fires, weapons familiarization, area reconnaissance, and observation post establishment,” said Capt. Andrew Gregory, assistant operations officer and event planner for 316th Cavalry Brigade.
Physical challenges during the competition will include teams participating in multi-phased road marches, obstacle courses and the Army Reconnaissance Course’s “Discipulus Validus; ” a multi-event physical fitness test comprised of the Army’s standard physical fitness test along with pull-ups, dips, rope climb and tire flip, he said.
Teams will be comprised of five Soldiers, including two-noncommissioned officers and three junior-ranking Soldiers, all of which must have the 19D military occupational skill of Cavalry Scout. Teams were invited from Armor and Infantry units throughout the Army, Army National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps, with 19 teams from the two services represented, including the following: 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Red Cloud, South Korea; 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning; 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; 25th Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis McCord, Wash.; 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas; 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif.; 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. ; 1st Squadron, 31st Cavalry Regiment, Alabama Army National Guard; 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, Georgia Army National Guard and 1st Squadron, 221th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Nevada Army National Guard.
The competition is named in honor of retired Command Sgt. Maj. William “Joe” Gainey, the first senior enlisted advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gainey will attend the event, which will take place on training areas on post continuously over the four-day period.
“The competition is spectator friendly and open to the public free of charge,” Gregory said. “It’s a great opportunity for the community to come out and show their support to Soldiers and the contributions they’ve made as Cavalry Scouts in our Army.”
“We are excited to host the 2013 Inaugural Gainey Cup,” said Col. Paul J. Laughlin, commandant, U.S. Army Armor School. “It is a physically and mentally demanding world-class event that will rigorously test the troopers’ competence and fortitude in reconnaissance and security skills. This year, we are excited to start up and host a high-quality team competition that our troopers will want to attend and compete in — now and in the future.”
