Brigade Run

There are lots of signs that things are going well here in Iraq. Signs that the violence has dropped and is continuing to get better. That’s what a big part of my job as the intelligence officer is; I track the bad guys. When things are going well and the threat is low then we do things that a normal Army unit does. Last week we had a Brigade run.

The Brigade our Squadron is assigned to is the 7th Sustainment Brigade and it is is about 5,000 soldiers strong. That’s a lot of soldiers. Here at COB Adder we were able to get a few thousand or so of us on the road at sunup and run for about 3 miles along the streets of COB Adder. That’s a big formation. If you’ve ever been near an event like this it is somewhat impressive. We bring out the guidons and unit colors (flags) and run in a long column.

If you’ve ever seen a movie where soldiers are running and singing cadence this was what they were trying to replicate. We sing a number of different running ‘songs’ to stay in step and help pump us up until the end. It’s an event that is all Army…nobody else does stuff like this.

Being on a deployment to a combat zone gives a soldier opportunities to get in shape. There isn’t much else to do and after about 5 years of being in Iraq our forces have managed to acquire some decent workout facilities. Some soldiers use the opportunity to develop some muscles…others don’t. I’m somewhere in between.

The ones that don’t stay in shape don’t do too well on the run. They run as far as they can and fall out and end up in the ‘line of shame’ on the sidewalk. Towards the end of the run it’s pretty apparent who hasn’t been working out. But most of us finish the run with a sweaty shirt, a motivated spirit, and a sense of esprit de corps that you just can’t get anywhere else.

But that’s not the point of the run. Sure, we are supposed to stay in shape…that’s part of being a soldier. But the run is a unifying event. It brings soldiers together under their unit flag and strengthens our unit identities. Your Army is made up of thousands of units big and small. Strong, small units combined make a strong Army. You can rest assured that you have a strong Army.

Just a few more months….a few more miles.

SABER 02,
Out.