April The Blackhorse - Blackhorse Association

April 2014
The Blackhorse
Riding with the Blackhorse:
Vignettes out of Our Regiment’s
History
By Don Snedeker
April 2014
1907
A Second Lieutenant with a Map
The Eleventh Cavalry Regiment (minus First
Squadron) was serving as part of the U.S.
forces sent to Cuba to put down a rebellion.
Troopers were located in Pinar del Rio (the
heart of the Cuban tobacco plantations) and
Camp Columbia near Havana. In addition to
patrolling on horseback and maintaining order,
officers of the Regiment assisted in making a
map of the island. Each officer, accompanied
by one or two mounted Troopers, was armed
with a prismatic compass and a sketch book.
The teams were sent out for months at a time,
measuring and sketching the landscape, then
returning to provide input to the mapmakers.
The whole project took many months. The
final map, with a scale of three miles to one
inch, measured 24 feet long.
1910
Life is Full of Choices
In the summer of 1910, there was a typhoid
fever epidemic sweeping the country. An
Army doctor had developed a vaccine against
the fever the previous year, and the War Dept.
Inside This Issue
President’s Message……...……….…...........2
65th Colonel’s Message…...……….….........3
Additional Association Notes........................3
Chapter Information/Officers..…....…...........4
Front page continued………......………....…5
Fundraising Event..........................................6
Paver Project..................................................7
Reunion info and signup ....…........….….8&9
Trooper/NCO Awards….......……..……….10
Blackhorse Store…………..….....………...11
Membership application…....….......………12
1941
sent it to all camps, posts, and stations.
However, the instructions from Washington
Desert Warfare Training
were that taking the shot was entirely voluntary.
Only about one-third of the Troopers of the
Eleventh Cavalry Regiment volunteered to take
the shot.
This was unsatisfactory to the
Regimental Commander, Colonel James Parker.
He issued an order on 7 September directing that
all officers and Troopers under the age of 50
would be expected to take the shot. Exceptions
could be made when requested in writing.
However, due to the threat of an epidemic in the
civilian community, those who did not receive
Trooper Sid Stark - 11th U.S. Cavalry
the vaccine would not be allowed to go off post
At Camp Lockett, 1942
on pass “where they run danger of infection.” In 1918, the Eleventh Cavalry departed Fort
Everyone dutifully lined up and was inoculated. Oglethorpe, Georgia, for its new home in
California. While most of the Regiment
went to the Presidio at Monterey, Echo
Troop initially occupied a bivouac in the
Campo Valley in the high desert west of
San Diego. Two decades later, the entire
Regiment rode south from Monterey, with
orders to establish a long-term horse cavalry
camp in the same location. After a 54-day
trek on horseback, Second Squadron
Troopers rode into the valley (known to the
Native Americans who originally lived in
the area as ‘big foot’) on Thanksgiving Day,
1941. Although the attack on Pearl Harbor
was still two weeks away, war clouds were
already on the horizon. According to the
LA Times, the “tough-bitten” 11th Cavalry
had the missions of patrolling the near-by
border with Mexico, protecting the West
Coast in case of a Japanese invasion, and
guarding the far-flung San Diego dams and
reservoirs from sabotage. The new camp,
which cost the Army Corps of Engineers
$1,000,000 to construct, was named Camp
Colonel James Parker
Lockett, in honor of the 4th Colonel of the
3rd Colonel of the Regiment
Regiment (1913-1915). It lay just two
miles from the Mexican border in an area
accessible only on a horse. One history of
the camp described the terrain and weather
in the region: “The surrounding terrain
offers unparalleled opportunities to test
man, beast and mechanized carriers over a
wide variety of terrain that includes heavily
wooded underbrush, desert sand, miles of
barren, rocky wastelands, streams to be
forded, and other geographic hazards
identical to those which confront cavalry
Blackhorse Association Web Site is: http://www.blackhorse.org
Continued on page 5
President’s Message by Glenn Snodgrass, President, Blackhorse Association
The Association continues to operate
on a sound financial footing: 2013 was
a great year with a wonderful reunion
in Louisville, 20 scholarships were
given, and important donations were
received from hundreds of members.
With your help, 2014 can be even
better.
status with the IRS) – please contribute
to our 1901 Club or simply send a check
to our treasurer earmarking the donation.
(2) If you want to contribute to our
Scholarship Fund, please become a
member of the Allons Club or simply
send a check to our treasurer earmarking
the donation.
(3) If you want to help us move our
Update on the Move of the
regimental monument from Fort Knox to
Regimental Monument
Fort Benning, you may buy a paver (see
article elsewhere in this newsletter) or
Some of you may not know that we are simply send a check to our treasurer
going to move the regimental
earmarking the donation.
monument from its current location at
The mailing address for all contributions
the Patton Museum near Fort Knox to
is: The Blackhorse Association
a new site adjacent to the future Armor
ATTN: Treasurer
and Cavalry Museum at Fort Benning
P. O. Box 84093
(it is a long story - suffice it to say that
Lexington, SC 29073
once the Home of Armor moved from
The website offers an easy credit card/
Knox to Benning, and all the armored
PayPal option of making contributions
vehicles were taken from the Patton
for any purpose. If you know of any
Museum to Benning, there was little
Blackhorse veterans who are not
choice for us but to move the
members of the Association, please
monument – if we ever expected lots
encourage them to join.
of people to come see it).
We are working closely with our
How you can help us save
sister organization, the 11th Armored
money
Cavalry Veterans of Vietnam and
Cambodia (11th ACVVC) to execute
A major goal is to continue to reduce
and pay for the move.
Association expenses. If you have
We have coordinated with Fort
access to a computer and email, you can
Knox for departure requirements, and
help immensely if you would be willing
are working with monument
to go paperless (and save us the cost of
companies at both sites.
printing and mailing this newsletter
We are also going to take this
twice a year). It’s easy – just go to our
opportunity to enhance our monument website at www.blackhorse.org and click
– with more history, our campaign
on the “Go Paperless” link at the top of
streamers, our patch, our crest, our
the home page. If you do not have
crossed sabers and more – we want it
access to a computer and email – no
to stand out and be something all of us worry – we will continue to send this
can be proud to visit and to call our
publication via regular mail.
own - it will represent all eras of
Reunion in June
Blackhorse service. Our target for
completion is the spring of 2015.
It is now time to get your registration
As always, we need your assistance
forms submitted for our upcoming
to help us pay for all of this. Please
see the 3rd subparagraph below if you reunion in Colorado Springs, CO, which
will be held June 12-15. [See the flyer
would like to contribute.
and registration forms elsewhere in this
How You Can Help us
newsletter.] We are getting early
Financially
indications of a very good turnout – we
have already topped our initial room
(1) If you want to contribute to our
minimums, so we are encouraging you to
Operations fund (the cost of running
get your hotel reservations soon.
the Association including newsletters,
Charley Watkins has been heading up
the website with eblasts, postage,
a large planning team for several months
essential administrative and statutory
and plans are starting to come together.
filing costs – the latter to protect our
We will have a golf tournament on
501 (3) (c) non-profit, charitable
Thursday, a casual Friday night Stable
Page 2
YourMount evening (including some more
inductees into the Regiment’s Honorary
Scrolls), and a Saturday night banquet, with
GEN JD Thurman tentatively to be our guest
speaker. We will have a memorial service at
our Memorial tank located nearby, tours of
Fort Carson, and perhaps a trip to Cheyenne
Mountain. If you have any silent auction
items to contribute, please call Charley
(Home:
719-576-0559; Cell: 970-620-0402).
This information can also be found on our
www.blackhorse.org and
www.blackhorse.com websites – or call me
with any questions
(703-250-3064 or 703-407-4038).
Communications
Clint Ancker, our Director of
Communications, asks that you make us
aware of things which you think would be of
interest to the Association membership – just
send either of us what you have in mind
electronically or call us anytime (Clint –
913-724-4420), or send to Clint at 17946
156th Terrace, Bonner Springs, KS, 66012.
If you have access to a computer, please
check our website at www.blackhorse.org for
a wealth of information about the Association
and the active regiment, and give us your
email address so that we can send you our
monthly e-news items. Greg Hallmark has
done a marvelous job over the last year
making our website a state-of-the-art place to
visit, but we are always looking for ways to
make the website better.
Memorabilia
Finish Line Awards (FLA), our
memorabilia vendor, continues to do a superb
job of offering quality merchandise - see their
advertisement elsewhere in this newsletter.
FLA has had such a profitable year, that they
have been able to contribute a portion of their
profits to the Association.
Any Questions about anything – don’t ever
hesitate to call me (703-250-3064 or
703-407-4038) or any member of the Board of
Directors (see page 4 for a complete listing).
ALLONS AND
BLACKHORSE FOREVER!
From the Battle Front
65th Colonel of the Blackhorse ...COL Lanier Ward
and Family members the past 5 months as
the interim CSM for the Regiment. CSM
Ashmead and Sheri, his spouse of 21 years
and mother to their four children, joins the
Black Horse Regiment from 1ABCT,
2IDSouth Korea.
Blackhorse Troopers, Veterans,
and all our supporting Family and Friends,
the second quarter of 2014 has been an
exciting one. First, we had the honor of
beating up on the 3d Striker Brigade from
2ID and the 1st Brigade from 1st CAV in
training rotations before taking a moment
to honor our heritage by conducting our
Regimental Ball in Las Vegas. We are
now fully immersed in preparing our sister
Regiment, 3d Cavalry Regiment, for their
upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
After an overwhelming success
last year with our Regimental Ball in San
Diego, we asked our Troopers this year
what they wanted to do for their Ball. They
responded that they wanted to shift
operations this year and do it in Vegas. The
South Point Hotel obliged us and was a
gracious host in allowing the Regimental
Horse Detachment to conduct a Cavalry
demonstration at their resident equestrian
center. The demonstration attracted
hundreds of spectators and portrayed our
Regiment in a positive light. South Point
even agreed to permit me to ride a horse
into the ballroom for our culmination to the
Grog Bowl Ceremony. Regardless of the
bets that were placed, I didn’t get bucked
off as part of the entrance but it was
agreeably one of my quickest dismounts
ever. The Ball itself was an extravagant
event where we honored the traditions of
the Regiment and recognized many of our
Troopers for the contributions they’ve
made to their individual branches. Our
loved ones and veterans who joined us in
the celebration appreciated the opportunity
to share in the elegant experience and
helped us close the night out by letting it
loose on the dance floor.
The Regiment returned safely from the
Ball without incident and held a “Change
of Responsibility” ceremony on March 12.
We welcomed Command Sergeant Major
(CSM) Carl Ashmead as the 21st
Command Sergeant Major of the 11th
ACR and bid farewell to Command
Sergeant Major Phillip Simpao who did an
outstanding job taking care of our Troopers
We have the honor of hosting 3d
Cavalry Regiment for Rotation 14-05 this
month which is scheduled to be the last
unit to train here prior to deploying in
support of Operational Enduring Freedom.
It’s a rare occasion that our two Cavalry
Regiments get to occupy the same area and
we are honored to host them for a “Lucky
16” gathering at Regimental Museum
when their training is complete. Our
“Lucky 16” celebrates whenever at least
two of the three Regiments of the 2d, 3d or
11th (16) get together for any operation.
As always, our doors are open to
you; once a Blackhorse, always a
Blackhorse. ALLONS!
The Regiment on Parade
The photograph below was taken during a
ceremony to honor RCSM Steven Travers,
who is leaving the Regiment to become the
Command Sergeant Major of the National
Training Center. A hearty Blackhorse
congratulations to CSM Travers!
Page 3
A Moving Tribute to our Men and Women in
Uniform and a Reading of the Declaration of
Independence
In case you missed it, your Regiment was
featured during the Superbowl pregame reading
of the Declaration of Independence. Regiment is
at mark 00:05 and 05:19. Below is the link to the
video. Enter this in your browswer and enjoy!
http://msn.foxsports.com/video?
vid=21dc555c-3d19-4b0a-9839-fbc1359dcd2b
A Note from an Early Scholarship Winner Scott Nicholson, son of Platoon Sergeant Glenn
Nicholson, KIA 5 May 1968
(This note was sent to us after Scott saw the
article about another early scholarship winner in
the December eBlast.)
This is a note regarding the item about one of the
first scholarships awarded in 1972. My brother,
David, was awarded one of the first two BHA
scholarships in 1972; however, he was not able to
use it as over time, the BHA lost contact with my
family. Then in 1989, when I was a first-semester
sophomore at Wichita State University and while
researching the impact of aging and health care on
Vietnam veterans, I ran across the address for the
BHA: PO Box 11, Ft. Knox, Kentucky. I penned a
letter to "whom it may concern" requesting that if
anyone served with my Dad, PSgt. Glenn E
Nicholson (H Co, 3rd Platoon), to please contact
me. A few weeks later I received a phone call
from CSM Bill Squires. No mention of the
scholarship was made in my letter, I figured it was
long gone and had been awarded to my brother.
Much to my surprise, the first thing CSM Squires
asked is if David was in school; unfortunately he
was not. He then said that it could be transferred
to my name; at that time I was the only one of 8
kids in college. While my brother was the
originally named recipient, and deservedly so, I
was honored to be the one who benefited from the
scholarship. I owe a lifelong debt of gratitude to
CSM Squires for the promise he made to a fallen
trooper, the dedication of General Patton, and the
ultimate sacrifice made by my father and all
troopers KIA. In an odd twist of fate, I am
indebted to my brother as well.
Throughout my career, the BHA Scholarship has
opened doors that I did not anticipate, whether the
reference was made in my resume or when made
in conversation with a colleague or business
prospect. The interest shown by others in the BHA
and the 11th ACR lineage is a powerful testament
to taking care of our own. To all 11th ACR and
BHA members, thank you for your sacrifices they do not go unnoticed. On behalf of my family,
thank you!
Page 4
The Blackhorse Family
General Membership Meetings,
Chapter Information, &Events
Fort Irwin Chapter
CPT Anthony Bradley, Adjutant
11 ACR, PO Box 105068
Fort Irwin, CA 92310
760-380-5740
Anthony.A.Bradley4.mil@mail.mil
The Fort Irwin Chapter sponsors a golf
tournament, a marathon, as well as
various other events each year to raise
funds that support various community
activities on Fort Irwin, and the
Blackhorse Association.
Gold Vault Chapter
Richard Wells, President
Rondo Jackson, Secretary
531 Sugar Branch Road
Big Clifty, KY 42712
rondo@windstream.net
270-242-2833
Air Cavalry Troop Chapter
James Angelini
2512 Lower Hunters Trace
Louisville, KY 40216
502-449-0262
ACT11thACR@aol.com
Washington D.C. Chapter
John Sylvester
11601 Tori Glen Court
Herndon, VA 20170
703-724-6747
jsylvester67@gmail.com
The chapter meets quarterly. Two of
those meetings coincide with Memorial
and Veterans Day activities.
Nevada/Wildhorse Chapter
CSM Paul Kinsey
Headquarters, 1/221 Cavalry
6400 Range Road
North Las Vegas, NV 89115
775-315-1608
paul.kinsey.mil@mail.mil
Blackhorse Regiment Cavalry
Motorcycles
Beau Richards
7740 Balboa Blvd, # 146
Van Nuys, CA 91406
818-427-3106
blusmn11thcav@gmail.com
www.bhrcm.com
The BHRCM support various charities
and many Regimental events.
Houston/SE Texas Chapter
Glenn Allardyce
11835 Cathy Drive
Houston, Texas 77065
281-787-0727
Ranger70@comcast.net
The chapter holds quarterly meetings
and hosted the 2010 Houston Reunion.
Other Points of Contact
1-144 Field Artillery
MSG Robert Allinder
Headquarters, 1-144 FA
3800 West Valhalla Drive
Burbank, CA 91505-1128
818-462-6729
Robert.allinder@us.army.mil
155 ABCT
LTC Michael Hunter
155 HBCT, MSARNG
2705 W. Jackson Street
Tupelo, MS 38803
662-891-9709
michael.a.hunter2.mil@mail.mil
Blackhorse Troopers Motor Cycle
Group
Ken Jankel
4877 Lofty Oak Drive
Redding, CA 96002
530-222-2211
www.blackhorsetroopers.org
The Blackhorse family consists of veterans of
the Blackhorse Regiment and attached units from
all eras of 11th Cavalry Service. It also includes
their family members, as well as friends of the
Blackhorse. Our Regiment at this time includes the
regimental units at Fort Irwin; 1st Battalion, 144th
Field Artillery of the California Army National
Guard; and 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry of the
Nevada Army National Guard. All have served or
are now serving in the War on Terrorism. While
attached to 2nd Squadron in Iraq, 155th Heavy
Brigade Combat Team lost 6 of the 21 Blackhorse
Troopers KIA in Iraq. Blackhorse Association
Membership is extended to all of the above,
through Regular, Associate and Corporate
Memberships. (See page 12)
Never should one generation of
Blackhorse Veterans abandon a later
generation of Blackhorse Veterans or
Active Troopers.
Blackhorse Association Officers
President J. Glenn Snodgrass
jgs525@verizon.net
703-250-3064
Vice President Jim Tankovich
tankovichj@charter.net
757-357-2168
Secretary
Charley Watkins
blackhorse6p@gmail.com
719-576-0559
Scholarships
The Blackhorse Association and Blackhorse
Scholarships were born of a promise made
by Sergeant Major Paul (“Bill”) Squires
(deceased) and (then) Colonel George S.
Patton (deceased) to a dying L Troop trooper
on 2 March 1969 on a battlefield in
Vietnam. The vow to “not let people forget
us” and “take care of our kids” became the
inspiration to form the Blackhorse
Association later that year at Fort Knox, KY.
We now include all Blackhorse Veterans and
Active Duty Troopers. Information and an
application can be found on page 10 or on
the website at ‘www.blackhorse.org’ or
contact:
Bob Hurt, Scholarship Director
The Blackhorse Association
75 E Shadowpoint Circle
The Woodlands, TX 77381
281-364-7285
bobhurt3@comcast.net
Treasurer Crystal Kruger
crystalkruger@earthlink.net
803-755-7389
Fund Raising Don Wicks
diwicks@bossig.com
509-943-5118
Membership Dale Skiles
dlskiles@gmail.com
501-749-8888
PO Box 13291 Maumelle,
AR 72113
Scholarships Bob Hurt
bobhurt3@comcast.net
281-364-7285
Communications/Editor Clint Ancker
banditsix@aol.com
913-724-4420
Special Projects Director Glenn Allardyce
ranger70@comcast.net
281-469-4034
Historian
Roger Cirillo
Roger.cirillo2@verizon.net
703-719-7252
Museum Curator SSG Michael McLean
irwin-museum@conus.army.mil
760-380-6607
11th ACR PAO CPT Chad Cooper
Chad.e.cooper.mil@mail.mil
760-380-5112
Page 5
Continued from page 1
troopers in battle conditions. Climatically this
is a region of extremes. There is summer heat
of 115 degrees; freezing temperature in winter.
Long dry spells alternate with cloudbursts.”
This was to be one of the Army’s first training
areas for horse cavalry operations in a desert
environment. However, 11th Cavalry Troopers
turned in their horses for armored vehicles
before they had much of a chance to train in the
desert.
1952
Ground Zero
prepared to assault the area directly beneath
where the A-Bomb had exploded. Within an
hour of the blast, 120 paratroopers jumped from
C-46s, while the 11th Cavalry tank platoon,
accompanied by infantrymen and engineers,
assaulted the objective. The Sixth Army
Commander, LTG Joseph Swing, was quoted
later as saying: “The only difficulty we
experienced was that everybody got a mouthful
of dirt when the shockwave swept past.” He
concluded: “The fireball was just another piece
of firepower to us." The general failed to
mention that the ‘mouthful of dirt’ was
radioactive.
1984
Anti-War Demonstrations
In 1952, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
was stationed at Camp Carson, Colorado. This
was a period of major changes for the Army, as
the lessons of the Korean War were being
assimilated. However, the primary driver of
change was the need to design a ground force
capable of operating on an atomic battlefield.
The Soviets had detonated their first atomic
bomb just three years earlier. As a result, U.S.
Army soldiers were being organized and trained
to fight both a conventional war (as in Korea)
and an atomic war (as expected in Europe).
Soldiers were also being used to test the effects
of atomic warfare. Such was the case on 22
April 1952 when a platoon of 11th Cavalry
Troopers in M-41 tanks, along with paratroopers
from the 82nd Airborne Division, and small
detachments of infantrymen, engineers, and
medical personnel set up in the Yucca Flats
Atomic Proving Ground in Nevada. The troops
were located just four miles away when the
bomb, dropped from a B-50 bomber, detonated
3,500 feet above the desert sands. A reporter for
the Los Angeles Times, who was on the scene,
described it: “A searing sun, unshielded by
clouds, was blacked out at the instant of the
unworldly incandescence of the initial flash.”
Ten seconds after the blast, the infantrymen got
out of their foxholes and the Cavalry Troopers
opened the hatches on their tanks. The GIs
reportedly “laughed and cracked jokes” as they
But it was the 300-plus mostly women
demonstrators who gathered outside the gates of
Downs Barracks in late September that were of the
most interest to the Blackhorse Troopers. After
reading a statement in German and English
condemning the East-West arms race, the
demonstrators marched to the Dom (cathedral) in
downtown Fulda, where a council of German
Catholic bishops was underway. Twenty of the
“anarchists and criminals” were arrested when they
tried to force their way into a meeting of the
bishops. Meanwhile, the platoon occupying OP
Alpha was placed on high alert as 20 demonstrators
were at work in Rasdorf. This group of protesters
released white balloons with the slogans “swords
into plowshares” and “unilateral disarmament” on
them. The prevailing winds carried the ‘peace
balloons’ into East Germany, where they
undoubtedly went into the Stasi archives.
The National Personnel Records Center(NPRC)
has provided the following website for veterans to
gain access to their DD-214's:
http://www.vetrecs.archives.gov/
For Inquiries not referenced in this issue, contact
the Secretary at:
Charley Watkins
Secretary, Blackhorse Association
3113 B Broadmoor Valley Road Colorado
Springs, CO 80906
Phone: 719-576-0559
LTG Sam Wetzel was, by most accounts, a
Cell: 970-620-0402
straight-spoken man. So, when anti-NATO
blackhorse6p@gmail.com
demonstrators attempted to disrupt the Autumn
Forge 84 exercise, it came as no surprise that the
V Corps Commander labeled them “anarchists
Mail Scholarship & Operations
and criminals.” The REFORGER exercise
Donations to:
involved over 300,000 U.S., British, Belgian and
Blackhorse Association
West German troops, to include the entire 11th
ATTN: Treasurer
ACR. The exercise was carried out along the
P.O. Box 84093 Lexington, SC 29073
famous Fulda Gap, giving First Squadron a
home field advantage in the war game. Not
surprisingly, troops from the Warsaw Pact
conducted their own “Shield 84” exercise in East
Germany and Czechoslovakia at the same time.
How you can help the
Blackhorse Association.
The Blackhorse Newsletter is printed and
mailed twice annually to some 15,565
members. We believe this publication is vital to
fulfilling the principles of our organization.
However, approximately 42 percent of the
operating expense of the association involves
printing and mailing the paper version. We can
sharply reduce these costs if you have access to
a computer and choose to receive the newsletter
electronically. You can do so by visiting the
website (www.blackhorse.org) and clicking the
News and Events page, and under "Newsletter"
click on the red words and provide your
preferred email address for delivery.
The Blackhorse Association, Inc.
(a non-profit organization)
The Blackhorse is published for the benefit of
members and friends of The Blackhorse Association. This newsletter contains past, present,
and future news of interest that includes
membership information, reunion updates and
various fundraising activities as well as
articles of interest submitted by Troopers from
many eras of Blackhorse service. Submissions
are welcome and encouraged. All newsletter
correspondence or inquiries should be made
in writing to:
Blackhorse Editor
17946 156th Terrace
Bonner Springs, KS 66012
banditsix@aol.com
Deadlines: January 15 & July 15
Page 6
Page 7
11th Cavalry Memorial Paver Project
Planning for the relocation of the 11th Cavalry memorial from Fort Knox to the planned new National Armor and
Cavalry Museum at Fort Benning has begun. It is anticipated that the first phase of development of the National Armor and
Cavalry Museum will be completed by October 2013. Our goal is to complete the move and construction of the new memorial
site no later than early 2015. This gives us approximately two years to complete the project.
The entire memorial complex will be moved, including the large Vietnam Memorial, the three memorials (obelisks)
that are dedicated to the Philippine, World War II and Iraqi Freedom campaigns, plus the nearly 1,100 granite bricks that
surround the memorial. All bricks will be catalogued prior to the move and will be placed in the new location in the same
relative position.
The cost of the move will be shared between the Blackhorse Association and the 11th Armored Cavalry's Veterans of
Vietnam and Cambodia. To help offset the cost of this project both organizations will be offering new granite bricks.
Anyone can purchase a memorial brick. Memorial bricks are a lasting tribute of your service to our regiment. The
bricks enable all of us to participate and show our support for our fellow Blackhorse troopers whose names are listed on the
memorials. The bricks measure 8 x 4 x 2 inches and can accommodate inscriptions of up to three lines of 15 characters per
line. Many choose to have their name, unit and years of service with the regiment inscribed on their brick. Others choose to
have a special message inscribed. Some of the messages are very touching: "IN OUR HEARTS", "BROTHERS 4-EVER", "I
NEVER FORGET" and "ALL GAVE SOME-SOME GAVE ALL" are just a few of the personal messages on the bricks. The
cost of a granite brick is $100.
We are beginning this fundraiser now so we can insure that sufficient funds are available in plenty of time to complete
the project by early 2015. The bricks will be placed at the new memorial site at Fort Benning during the construction phase.
The bricks add a very special and personal touch to the memorial. We urge you to support this worthwhile project by
purchasing a brick.
11th Armored Cavalry Memorial - Brick Order Form
Print your message in the boxes below exactly as you want your brick to appear.
Be sure to leave a blank box between words.
Each line accommodates a maximum of 15 characters, including blank boxes and punctuation (commas, periods, hyphens). If
ordering more than one brick, photocopy this form or use a separate sheet of paper. Each brick is 4” x 8” x 2”.
Name_______________________________________________ Phone___________________
Address______________________________________ City_______________________State__________Zip__________
Check enclosed ($100 per brick)_____
Visa_____MasterCard_____ Card # ________________________________ Exp Date _____
Amount to be charged to credit card $_______________________
Signature (Required for Credit Cards) _____________________________________________
Note: If ordering more than one brick, please submit a separate form for each.
Please make checks payable to: The Blackhorse Association.
Mail this form with your check or credit card information (no cash please) to:
Don Wicks
Director of Fundraising
The Blackhorse Association
1807 Hunt Avenue
Richland, WA 99354-2645
Page 8
The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's Blackhorse Association will hold its annual Blackhorse Family Runion 12-15 June 2014
in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The reunion is open to all past and present troops who served with the Regiment, the REgimental
Community, and all separate units who supported the Regiment.
The reunion will be held at the Hotel Elegante Conference and Event Center, 2886 South Circle Drive, Colorado Springs, CO,
80908. The Elegante is in the process of a major/several million dollar renova-tion. Rooms have been set aside for reunion
attendees at a special negotiated rate of $115 per night. Attendees are encouraged to make plans early. For reservations please visit
https://www.reseze.net/cassets/mkt/mcmelegante/landing_pages/MCM_Colorado_Blackhorse_Association.html
or call (800) 981-4012 (reservations) or you can call their Front Desk directly at (719) 576-5900 (and be sure to tell them our Group ID
number: 693108 and that you are attending the Blackhorse reunion). For additional lodging options, go to
http://www.expedia.com/Colorado-Springs-Hotels.d602991.Travel-Guide-Hotels.
The Schedule of Events Is:
Thursday, June 12:
8am – 5pm: Registration/Hospitality Room/Silent Auction
8am – Until: Blackhorse Store Open
7am: Golf Tournament - first tee time 0800 at Fort Carson course. They have plenty of golf clubs, shoes and carts to rent. We need to
know who wants to play golf.
1pm – 4pm: Tour of Fort Carson
Sightseeing on your own (see options below)
6pm – Until: Hospitality Room (about 9PM) open bar in the lobby.
Friday, June 13:
8am – 5pm: Registration/Hospitality Room/Silent Auction
8am – Until: Blackhorse Store Open
7am – 10am: 5th Annual Reunion Motorcycle Rally
10am: Load buses for Memorial Service
10:30am –11:30am: Memorial Service at Blackhorse Memorial tank
Sightseeing on your own (see options below)
6pm – Until: Stable Your Mount casual evening social (bar opens and food served at 6pm and program begins at 7pm). Cash bar with
heavy hors d’oeuvres.
Saturday, June 14:
8am – 3pm: Registration/Hospitality Room/Silent Auction
8am – 5pm: Blackhorse Store Open (Reopen for one hour following banquet)
8am – 9am: Association Directors closed meeting
9am – 11am: Association Annual Business meeting. All members are encouraged to attend.
Sightseeing on your own (see options below)
6pm – 10pm: Cocktails/Banquet (Coat & Tie recommended). Cocktails begin at 6pm, dinner at 7pm. Program includes announcement
of scholarship recipients for this year. Keynote speaker tentatively will be GEN JD Thurman, recently retired CINC in Korea. Silent
Auction winners will be announced.
Sunday, June 15:
9am: Non-denominational church service-Hospitality Room Farewells
There are over 50 tourist attractions in the Colorado Springs area. Some of the more popular sights are as listed below, but you will
find others in your reunion bags:
Pikes Peak
National WWII Aviation Museum
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Air Force Academy and Chapel
Cave of the Winds
US Olympic Training Center
Gambling in Cripple Creek
Garden of the God
Seven Falls
Broadmoor Hotel
Old Colorado City Manitou Springs
Cliff Dwellings
North Pole
Registration fee is $95 for adults and $30 for children 12 and under who do not attend the banquet. This fee covers reunion mementos,
small hors d'oeuvres at the Friday evening Stable Your Mount social, the Saturday banquet with wine, and other reunion costs. Please
complete the attached registration form and make checks payable to “The Blackhorse Association”. Attendee transportation, including
airfare, rental car, and lodging must be organized separately. For more information, see www.blackhorse.org and
www.blackhorse.com; or contact one of the following Reunion Committee members: Charley Watkins at (719) 576 0059,
blackhorse6p@yahoo.com, Tom Smart at (703) 973 3703, tom.smart@acrpros.com, or Glenn Snodgrass at (703) 250 3064,
jgs525@verizon.net,
Page 9
REGISTRATION FORM
Blackhorse Reunion
Colorado Springs June 12-15,
2014
Please complete and return with your check ($95 per adult; $30 per child 12 and under not attending
banquet) made payable to “The Blackhorse Association,” or credit card information (see below).
Name: ____________________________________________
Address:______________________City________________State_______________Zip:_________
Home Phone:______________
Cell Phone:__________________
E-Mail Address:_____________________
Unit(s) and Dates Served:_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
ATTENDEES: In addition to your name above. Also, please indicate anyone under 12, and any special
food needs for the banquet, which will be served buffet-style and include beef, chicken and vegetarian
options. NAME(s)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Please send your completed registration form along with your check or credit card information to:
Tom Smart
18890 Loudoun Orchard
Road Leesburg, VA 20175
For Credit Card Users: MC ___ Visa ___ Discover___
Number:_______________________________ (We cannot accept American Express)
Expiration Date: ______________ Dollar amount to be charged $___________________________
Name as it appears on credit card: _______________________________________________________
Billing address (street or P.O., city, state, zip code)
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Trooper Support: If you would like to support an active regimental trooper to attend the reunion
events, please include your donations below as a part of your overall registration fee. Any funds
remaining will be donated to the scholarship fund. Yes, I would like to sponsor active troopers to
the reunion.
Donation: $___________ Total for registration: $___________
Please register early – it will help with our planning. A full refund will be provided for cancellations
that are received by May 31, 2014.
Page 10
Blackhorse Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer Awards
It is with great pride that the members of the Blackhorse Association recognize the achievements of the Soldier and
Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. We are de-lighted to see these
leaders and potential leaders excel and carry forward the proud traditions of our Regiment. The Blackhorse
Association presents each recipient with a monogrammed windbreaker and Association Membership as a small
token of our thanks for their service to our Regiment and our Nation.
SOLDIER
NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER
2nd Quarter, FY 14
Soldier of the Quarter, Specialist Adam J. Stafford
Specialist Stafford is a 35M Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Collector. He
attended the University of Texas at Arlington where he earned a
Bachelor's degree in Police Science and Sociology and was honored as
a two-time All-American in Track and Field. He completed Basic Combat
Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and Advanced Individual Training
at Fort Huachuca, AZ, graduating in the top five Soldiers in his class.
Fort Irwin is his first duty station and he is assigned to the Vanguard
Military Intelligence Company, Regimental Support Squadron. He is the
Team Leader for the HUMINT Collection Team. During training rotations,
SPC Stafford operates undercover to gain actionable intelligence in
support of the Regimental Commander's Priority Intelligence
Requirements. He is also responsible for conducting classes on
Tactical Questioning for Vanguard MICO and TICO Soldiers.
SPC Stafford has earned the Army Achievement Medal, two Certificates
of Achievement, and the Order of Hamby, Third Class for his excellence
in Human Intelligence Collection. He graduated the Warrior Leader's
Course on the Commandant's List in July 2013. SPC Stafford's shortterm goals include promotion to Sergeant, starting his Master's Degree,
and representing the Regimental Support Squadron and 11th ACR at
the Fort Irwin/National Training Center Soldier of the Year competition.
SPC Stafford's long-term goals are to make the Army a career, earn the
rank of Command Sergeant Major, finish his Master's Degree, and
complete a PhD. He is married to Taryn Stafford and has a step-son,
Tayler Knutsen.
NCO of the Quarter, Sergeant Anthony W.
Lancaster
SGT Anthony Lancaster spent almost four years in the
Arkansas Army National Guard. He transitioned into the Active
Army in December 2009. He attended Basic Combat Training
and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South
Carolina. His first active duty station was Fort Riley, Kansas
where he was as a Paralegal Specialist in the 1st Infantry
Division, and later was a battalion paralegal for the 84th
Ordnance Battalion (EOD). He was selected to be on his
battalion commander's personnel security detail due to his
fknowledge of convoy security from his National Guard time.
His civilian education includes thirty-three credit hours with
Park University in the pursuit of an Associate's Degree in
Criminal Justice. Among other awards, he has earned the Army
Achievement Medal (2 OLC), Army Commendation Medal, Army
Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Commendation
Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Global War
On Terrorism Service Medal. SGT Lancaster intends compelete
his Associates degree in Criminal Justice. He wants to become
the Fort Irwin NCO of the Year. He also intends to actively work
to better himself and his career through military education and
promotion to Sergeant Major. He wants to be the Army
Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. He is married to Liane
Marie, and they have three sons: Jacob, Brayden, and
Alexander.
Page 11
The Blackhorse
NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
April 2014
PAID
PERMIT 326
Bryan, TX
77801
The Blackhorse Association, Inc
PO Box 13291
Maumelle, AR 72113
Mailing
Mailing
Mailing
Mailing
Mailing
BLACKHORSE ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP
Address
Address
Address
Address
Address
Line
Line
Line
Line
Line
1
2
3
4
5
INFORMATION UPDATE _____
NEW APPLICATION _____
FIRST NAME______________________M.I.___
LAST NAME ______________________________________
MAILING ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________________
CITY/STATE/ZIP_______________________________________________________________________________
PHONE NUMBER_______________________________EMAIL ADDRESS ________________________________
PERMANENT ADDRESS________________________________________________________________________
CITY/STATE/ZIP_______________________________________________________________________________
BLACKHORSE SERVICE:
UNIT ___________________________________ DATES (MO/YR to MO/YR) ______________________
UNIT ___________________________________ DATES (MO/YR to MO/YR) ______________________
UNIT ___________________________________ DATES (MO/YR to MO/YR) ______________________
RANK WHILE IN SERVICE ______________________* HONORABLY DISCHARGED (YES/NO)
CURRENT STATUS: ACTIVE DUTY ___ ARMY RETIRED ___ARMY VETERAN ___ GUARD ___ RESERVIST _____
OPTIONS: LIFE($125.00)___ANNUAL($25.00)_____ ASSOC ($35.00/YR) ______ CORPORARE ($500.00/YR) _____
GOLD STAR LIFE ___(NO FEE FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF TROOPERS KILLED WHILE SERVING WITH 11th ACR)
To save the Association printing and mailing expense, I choose to receive all newsletters by e-mail only ______(Check )
I hereby authorize the release of my address, phone number, and email to other Troopers who served with the 11th ACR.
I also swear that the above information is true and that I will abide by the Association Bylaws if accepted for membership.
SIGNATURE ____________________________________________________ DATE __________________
This information is required in order to verify service with the Blackhorse Regiment and US Army by means of unit status reports
and morning reports.
Instructions: Lifetime and Annual Memberships are open to all Troopers who served with the 11th ACR. Associate
Memberships are open to family and friends of the Regiment. Please fill out all required information and return this form
with check or money order, payable (no cash please) to the following address:
The Blackhorse Association, Inc.
ATTN: MEMBERSHIP
P.O. Box 13291
Maumelle, AR 72113
For Credit Card Users: MC__Visa__Disc__:Number____________________________Expiration Date:____________
Name as it appears on credit card: _______________________________________________Amount $___________________