WEBVTT

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- I feel like a shave tail.

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It's a good shave tail day.

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- [Reporter] Earning your spurs is a time-honored tradition

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of the U.S. Cavalry.

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In the early days, a new soldier to the unit

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was given a horse with a shaved tail

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to indicate that he had no training

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and was not allowed to use his spurs

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because he might injure his horse,

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so he had to earn them.

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The tradition of earning your spurs is alive today,

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and 1st Squadron 33rd Cavalry

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hosted the time-honored event at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

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The grueling challenge hosted a varied group,

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from the newest private, the rank of (mumbles)

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noncommissioned officer, even a brigadier general.

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They all vied for the coveted silver spurs.

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- It's going to be pretty intense.

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We're going to be looking for to run through our lanes.

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Our lanes are going to be to present our skills

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as a Cavalryman itself, and it's going to be

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a lot of exercising, and it should be pretty fun.

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- [Reporter] After a quick brief and a pep talk

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from the squadron commander, the Spur candidates

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were off and running on their 12-hour overnight

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rite of passage.

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As the old adage goes, "If it ain't raining,

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we ain't training", the Spur candidates got more

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than they bargained for as the sun began to set.

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At each station, soldiers were asked different questions,

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ranging from weapons to who won the last World Series.

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If they couldn't answer, they had to perform an exercise

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and then continue on.

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After the 10 stations were complete,

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the exhausted, soaking wet and dirty soldiers

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were finally at the end an were ready

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to receive their spurs.

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In front of the squadron and national collars

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and, of course, the (mumbles), the newest members

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of the Order of the Spurs were finally inducted.

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- The Spurs is the number one symbol to be a a cavalry man,

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so to earn our spurs just means that we represented

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our spot in the cavalry world.

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- [Reporter] Reporting from Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo,

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I'm Sergeant Bill Washburn.