173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs
Hometown: Vicenza, , IT
![173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d1.static.dvidshub.net/images/branches/army.png)
Current Personnel:
Featured Video
173rd Family Workshop
Veteran couples representing different ranks and time in service, sat in front of 173rd spouses to talk about what to expect when their soldier returns. Army SSG. Edwin Perez tells us more. Soundbites include MSG. William Fogle - 173rd ABCT Reintegration NCO, Cassie Benjamin - 1st/503rd Spouse and CPT. Brad Benjamin - 1st/503rd Rear DET CMR. TAG: The 173rd Airborne Brigade hopes to conduct more workshops like this one in the near future. Produced by SSG. Edwin Perez.
Video by Staff Sgt. Edwin Perez | 173ABCT | 02.02.2013
Recent Photos
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_inactive.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_inactive.gif)
(169 votes; 2.84)
![Sky Soldiers are awarded the Army Safety Excellence Streamer](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d2.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1211/791826/100x67_q75.jpg)
Lt. Col. Luis A. Velez, commander of the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion and Command Sgt. Maj. David Franco present the Army Safety Excellence Streamer to Alpha...
Courtesy Photo | 173ABCT | 11.18.2012
![173rd ABCT's 6th annual 'Running of the Herd'](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d3.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1211/782314/100x66_q75.jpg)
A trophy stands ready to be handed to the team that completes the most laps in the fastest time during the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team's 6th annual "Running of...
Photo by Sgt. Michael Sword | 173ABCT | 11.08.2012
![Sky soldiers jump into Holland for 68th anniversary of Operation Market Garden](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d1.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1209/673167/100x75_q75.jpg)
Paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team: Master Sgt. Melvyn Lopez (left), Staff Sgt. Steven Van Esch (2nd from left) and Pfc. James Bynum (right)...
Photo by Maj. Timothy Chavis | 173ABCT | 09.22.2012
![Why We Serve: Spc. Ethan Wilson](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d2.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1209/664243/67x100_q75.jpg)
U.S. Army Spc. Ethan Wilson pulls security during a patrol near Combat Outpost McClain in Logar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 9, 2012. Wilson is a 19-year-old native...
Photo by Sgt. Michael Sword | 173ABCT | 09.09.2012
![ANA’s 7th Kandak ‘The way ahead’](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d3.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1209/665674/100x67_q75.jpg)
An U.S. Army soldier with B Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, provides security during a patrol in Logar...
Photo by Sgt. Michael Sword | 173ABCT | 09.09.2012
![173rd honors fallen 'Legion' Soldier](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d1.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1209/658986/68x100_q75.jpg)
U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Justin Elliott, first sergeant for Legion Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, pays his...
Photo by Sgt. Michael Sword | 173ABCT | 09.05.2012
Recent Video
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_inactive.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_inactive.gif)
(119 votes; 3.01)
![173rd Family Workshop](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d2.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/frames/video/1302/281647/100x67_q75.jpg)
Veteran couples representing different ranks and time in service, sat in front of 173rd spouses to talk about what to expect when their soldier returns. Army SSG....
Video by Staff Sgt. Edwin Perez | 173ABCT | 02.02.2013
![Pfc. Bryce Smith](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d3.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/frames/video/1301/194705/100x67_q75.jpg)
Pfc. Bryce Smith sends a greeting to family and friends. Also available in high definition
Video by Spc. Alisha Grezlik | 173ABCT | 01.01.2013
![1st Sgt. Michael Rogers](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d1.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/frames/video/1301/194722/100x67_q75.jpg)
1st Sgt. Michael Rogers sends a greeting to family and friends. Also available in high definition
Video by Spc. Alisha Grezlik | 173ABCT | 01.01.2013
![Maj. Timothy Chavis](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d2.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/frames/video/1301/194657/100x67_q75.jpg)
Maj. Timothy Chavis sends a greeting to family and friends. Also available in high definition
Video by Spc. Alisha Grezlik | 173ABCT | 12.19.2012
![PFC Miles Cannon](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d3.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/frames/video/1301/194658/100x67_q75.jpg)
Pfc. Miles Cannon sends a greeting to family and friends. Also available in high definition
Video by Spc. Alisha Grezlik | 173ABCT | 12.19.2012
![Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Gosizk](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d1.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/frames/video/1301/194659/100x67_q75.jpg)
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Gosizk sends a greeting to family and friends. Also available in high definition
Video by Spc. Alisha Grezlik | 173ABCT | 12.19.2012
Featured Story
1-503 holds pre-Ranger course while deployed in Ghazni Province
01.01.2013 | AFStory by Sgt. Michael Sword
![1-503 holds pre-Ranger course while deployed in Ghazni province 1-503 holds pre-Ranger course while deployed in Ghazni province](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d3.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1301/808342/350x233_q75.jpg)
The course was held at Forward Operating Base Warrior in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, and while the decision to hold the course was easy, implementing it was no easy task.
After weeks of planning and with the help of the Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning, Ga., who sent the most current course materials, a cadre of Ranger-qualified non-commissioned officers from 1st Battalion put together a course, focusing on the fundamentals taught at what is generally considered one of the toughest courses the Army offers.
“We were pulling information from stateside to make it accurate and to get the most updated techniques from Ranger school itself,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Zachari Rushing, one of the instructors of the course and the lead in creating the course.
“Everything that we taught off of was word for word what they teach,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gregory Quarles, a weapons squad leader with A Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, and a native of Ringgold, Ga.
“We focused on RAP week and squad tactics,” said Rushing, who is a native of Gulf Breeze, Fla. “We went the amount of depth that they would get at ranger school and we did a lot of patrolling.”
RAP week is the Ranger assessment phase, the first three days of Ranger school, that includes the Ranger physical fitness test, a combat water survival assessment, 2.1-mile buddy run in uniform, carrying an M4, obstacle course and 12-mile ruck march with a load of no less than 35 pounds.
According to the RTB, 60 percent of all Ranger school failures occur during RAP week. While 1st Battalion’s instructors couldn’t replicate RAP week exactly, the soldiers were held to the same exacting time standards of Ranger school.
“At 6800 ft. a full Ranger PT test was run just like it would be run at Ranger school,” said Quarles.
The cadre was all volunteers, a fact that was not lost on U.S. Army Spc. Ron Murphy, an infantryman and machine gunner with 1st Battalion’s A Company, and a native of Simi Valley, Calif.
“We’re all deployed right now, and they have places they need to be, too,” he said of the instructors. “But they put in so much work to make sure we got the lesson and we picked it up.”
As the class continued, the elevation wasn’t the only additional challenge, as temperatures fell below freezing at night and while many units have similar courses, holding the pre-Ranger course while deployed presented some unique challenges.
“The fact that you’re taking the course downrange with all the other stresses, the results were good,” said Rushing.
Even in the face of challenge, there were some benefits to being deployed during the course, especially while teaching demolitions.
“We blew live claymores,” said Quarles. “We taught them charges that they won’t learn in Ranger school, just to give them the knowledge, and taught them the charges they will do, to set them up for success but also to give them some extra tools.”
For soldiers who are already planning on attending Ranger school, like Murphy, the course provided a look into the future.
“This was something I wanted to do to better prepare myself,” he said. “They laid out how it’s going to be in Ranger school and personally, it made me feel better.”
“They basically broke it down for us,” he continued. “Here, they’ll work with you more and they’ll teach you and you get to absorb it slower than I imagine you would be able to in Ranger school.”
While the course was primarily attended by infantrymen, any soldier could attend.
“For a few months, I’ve been thinking about going to Ranger school,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Hurtig, an intelligence analyst with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, and a native of Flower Mound, Texas. “For intel analysts, it’s rare to be airborne qualified much less Ranger qualified, so I feel like it’s a challenge that I can accomplish that will set me apart from my peers.”
The students were given a test at the beginning of the course to test their knowledge of infantry tactics and as an analyst, Hurtig got off to a rough start.
“My first test grade I got a 14 percent,” he said.
“I was able to move that into the 80s by the end, but that just shows the learning curve I had,” he continued. “It allowed me to learn a lot of skills in the infantry world, the people I’m supporting, so now I have a better idea what they go through.”
After two back-to-back classes in a month, 1st Battalion graduated 28 soldiers from the course, giving them a glimpse into the future and confidence that if they can make it through the pre-Ranger course while deployed in Afghanistan, they will be able to make it in the real Ranger school.
“The weather sucked, but the weather can suck anywhere,” said Murphy. “I know what I have to do to make it through and I know I can get through it. You just take it day-by-day and if you need to take it hours-by-hours.”
Recent News Stories
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_active.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_inactive.gif)
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://www.dvidshub.net/images/rating_star_inactive.gif)
(29 votes; 3.10)
![1-503 holds pre-Ranger course while deployed in Ghazni Province](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d1.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1301/808342/100x66_q75.jpg)
As temperatures go down across Afghanistan, lush green farmland and rocky, brown mountain peaks are now blanketed with snow. With the colder weather, many of the...
Story by Sgt. Michael Sword | 173ABCT | 01.01.2013
![Sky Soldiers are awarded the Army Safety Excellence Streamer](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d2.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1211/791844/100x67_q75.jpg)
Over the past 12 months, despite the hazards of three training rotations in Europe, the deployment of half of the battalion to Afghanistan, as well as the continued...
Courtesy Story | 173ABCT | 11.30.2012
![173rd ABCT holds 6th Annual 'Running of the Herd' in Germany and Afghanistan](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d3.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1211/782317/100x76_q75.jpg)
Paratroopers, soldiers, coalition partners, and civilians met on a cold morning Nov. 8, 2012 to conduct the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team’s annual “Running...
Courtesy Story | 173ABCT | 11.08.2012
![173rd, ANSF enable security, demonstrate capability throughout Logar, Wardak Provinces](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d1.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1210/768005/100x66_q75.jpg)
As American and coalition forces begin their drawdown in Afghanistan, they continue to support their Afghan partners.
Story by Sgt. Michael Sword | 173ABCT | 10.26.2012
![Solo patrols showing potential, increasing confidence of ANA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130215233048im_/http://d2.static.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/photos/1210/678555/100x66_q75.jpg)
As task forces across Afghanistan continue to adjust to their role as trainers, mentors and enablers, the members of the Afghan National Security Forces are also...
Story by Sgt. Michael Sword | 173ABCT | 10.09.2012
Sky soldiers join Italian army at Ranger school
It isn't everyday that soldiers have a chance to make history, but on October 5th, 2012, five soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team did just that.
Story by Joel Vazquez | 173ABCT | 10.05.2012
It isn't everyday that soldiers have a chance to make history, but on October 5th, 2012, five soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team did just that.
Story by Joel Vazquez | 173ABCT | 10.05.2012