After four days of rain, shine and one tornado warning, the cavalry scouts of 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment have come away victorious at the 2017 Gainey Cup.
The six-man squad beat out 23 other teams for this year's top prize, including 17 active-duty squads, three from the National Guard, two from Canada and one each from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The top three squads were honored in a Thursday ceremony at Fort Benning, Georgia, which was broadcast live on Facebook.
When 1-1 CAV returns home to the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas, they'll bring a pile of swag that includes the Gainey Cup trophy itself, a streamer for their unit guidon, Bose Bluetooth speakers, Spyderco knives, a Cap 'N Ball revolver, a new set of cavalry spurs and an appointment to the Order of St. George in the United States Armor Association, among other prizes.
To beat out the competition, the scouts competed in three full days and one morning of dozens of events, including live-fire exercises, a stress test, vehicle identification, call-for-fire, an obstacle course and others.
Second place went to 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment from the 3rd Infantry Division, who also took first place in the land navigation event. They went home with the knives, the spurs and a St. George beer stein.
Third place went to an Illinois National Guard squad, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, who also placed first in call-for-fire.
The "best scouts" competition is named for retired Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Gainey, who served 33 years in 22 assignments and finished his career as the first senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the joint chiefs.
The scouts of 1-1 CAV will have their bragging rights until 2019, when the biennial competition returns for the fourth time.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
