The Order of the Spur
The cavalry tradition of the Order of the Spur and 'earning you spurs' is rooted in knighthood where the awarding of gilt spurs symbolized the entry into the fraternity of mounted warriors.
At the inception of cavalry units in the United States, green troopers were assigned a horse with a shaved tail which led to the nickname of 'Shave Tail' for the newly assigned spur-less soldiers.
Spurs were awarded once the trooper was able to prove their ability to perform with their horse and saber.
Today's trooper/soldier can earn their spurs by passing a series of mental & physical tests set by their command known as a 'spur ride'. Or a Trooper may forgo the spur ride and 'earn their spurs' by seeing combat with their cavalry unit. Once inducted into the order of the spur it is for life and travels with the soldier from unit to unit.
A trooper who has earned their spurs via combat will wear Brass Plated spurs which are considered combat spurs.
The trooper that has earned their spurs but not seen combat will wear Chrome Plated spurs
A spur ceremony in Iraq is describe in this following article
Cavalry Spur Ceremony
Additional details on The Order of the Spur and the corresponding history are well represented on these pages
http://www.cavhooah.com/spurs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Spur
History of the Order of the Spur This is a word document
|