Troopers deliver in rainy Rose Parade

Army News Service ^ | January 3, 2006 | Spc. Colby Hauser

[SandRat]

The 1st Cavalry Division wagon and Horse Cavalry Detachment ground crew greet soggy spectators on South Orange Grove Boulevard during their performance at the 117th Tournament of Roses Parade Jan. 2 in Pasadena, Calif.
Spc. Colby Hauser

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Troopers deliver in rainy Rose Parade

By Spc. Colby Hauser

January 3, 2006

LOS ANGELES (Army News Service, Jan. 3, 2005) – Rain-soaked spectators roared with applause at the grandstand Jan. 2, as the Army’s last mounted cavalry unit presented arms during one of the nation’s largest parades.

The 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment braved nature’s wrath and basked in the adoration of more than 200,000 fans as they trotted down Colorado Avenue during the 117th Tournament of Roses Parade.

“This is what this trip has been all about,” said Staff Sgt. Donnie Davis, a demonstration rider with the detachment. “You know, this is what we live for.”

An odyssey, seven days in the making for the detachment, this year’s parade performance was not without its challenges. It hadn’t rained on this parade since 1955.

This year, it poured.

“It’s only rained once in my lifetime,” said Patsy Grant, a passenger on the Wells Fargo stage.

Grant said that after 25 years of coming to the parade, this was her first time participating in the event. Still, Grant said she had to find the right type of ride to make her dream come true.

“I’m too old to be queen, I can’t play a note and I’m afraid of horses so I had to find something to ride on,” she said.

The line-up consisted of 48 floats, 25 marching bands, 23 equestrian units and three official vehicles which made their way down the five-and-one-half-mile route, fighting sheets of rain every inch of the way.

“Our biggest concern wasn’t the horses, but the floats,” said Gerald Freeny, the chairman of the equestrian committee for the parade. “By 2:30 this morning we were drilling holes in the bottom of the floats to help them drain water, but the real concern was the winds.”

Local weather forecasts predicted four to eight inches of rain with winds in excess of 40 miles per hour for the parade. Still, with all the rain and wind, the show went on.

Soaked to the bone, the Soldiers played to the crowd, as “Buddy,” the detachment’s dog, howled to the delight to thousands of small children hoping to get a smile and a wave from one of the cavalrymen.

Past the grandstands and through the streets, Longhorn and Trojan fans were engaged in a torrid war of words, but as the First Team troops rode past those words turned to cheers for the Soldiers and what they represent.

Riding tall in the saddle and shivering from the cold, the members of the detachment were all smiles from beginning to end. A lot has happened since their last appearance at the Tournament of Roses Parade, but for the troopers it had been worth the wait.

“It’s truly an honor to be back here,” said Sgt. 1st Class Rip Bussell, the detachment platoon sergeant. “Coming to the parade and representing both the Cav and the Army is an honor, but talking to the people about who we are and what we really do is what makes things like this worthwhile.”

(Editor’s note: Spc. Colby Hauser serves with 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.)

Additional Photos:
 

[SandRat]

Rose Bowl Parade and Traditional Cavalry PING

[ASOC]

While watching the parade, I wondered
Are these guys active duty, with an MOS that, literally, involves "shoveling horsesh!t"?

BTW the Marine Band looked pretty sharp, did not see any USAF types tho.

[AnAmericanMother]

My dad was in the last remount of the old 2nd Cav., just as WWII got underway.

The stable orderlies shoveled the sh!t. Not that it's that bad a job. Horses eat only grass, hay, and grain - so it isn't like you're shoveling the output of a carnivore. I've probably shoveled 30-40 metric tons of the stuff over the last 45 years or so.

Just the price you pay for getting to play with horses.

[DJ MacWoW]

ping

[Darksheare]

Horse Cav, excellent!

[ASOC]

LOL
I got tired of shoveling it and joined the AF

[E.G.C.]

BTTT