1CDSB passes two-thirds-of-a-century | Article

DESIGNATED OPERATING LOCATION POWIDZ, Poland – For 67 years, the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade (1CDSB) has been a model of sustained excellence, whether at its home base at Fort Cavazos, Texas, or at its current location on NATO’s Eastern Flank.

The brigade provides the 1st Cavalry Division with essential supplies, maintenance, transportation, and field operations. Despite numerous organizational changes and redesignations over the years, the 1CDSB, also known as Task Force Wagonmaster or TF Wagonmaster, continues to be a critical component of the division more than two-thirds of a century after its inception.

The unit’s history dates back to the post-Korean War era, when the Headquarters and Headquarters Department of the Platoons of the 1st Cavalry Division was established on August 22, 1957. Although the concept of “platoons” under a commanding headquarters was new to the division at the time, it had already been used successfully by tank units during World War II to supply soldiers in the field with vital supplies such as food, clothing, ammunition, and transportation.

Today, the Brigade continues this proud tradition. To celebrate its formation, the current Soldiers of 1CDSB hosted a full day of events at the Powidz Forward Operating Location. The day included physical readiness training (PRT), a sports tournament, a Soldier recognition and award ceremony, and, as tradition demands, a cake cutting ceremony with a ceremonial military saber.

“We ask you to compete together as teams… because that’s how we win. We win as teams, not as individuals,” said Col. Christopher Jones, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade and Task Force Wagonmaster, in his opening remarks.

The celebration began early in the morning as the Soldiers lined up in their respective battalions and companies. Wearing Army combat uniforms and 35-pound backpacks, they were divided into groups to tackle a series of challenging PT competitions centered around the number 67, which marked the brigade’s years of service.

“I’m not asking you to be strong or tough, but I’m asking you to have grit, because grit will get you through anything in life,” Jones told his troopers before they began the PT event.

The PT course included seven stations, with each event following the theme of “67,” whether through reps or seconds. At the first station, soldiers completed 67 hand-release push-ups in a “T” shape as a team. They then ran to the second station, where they pushed weight plates across a sports field together, alternating between the bear walk position and with the plates on their backs.

At the next station, the soldiers performed 67 “ruck squats,” using their backpacks as medicine balls. Station four required them to stay in the plank position for 67 seconds. At station five, they performed backpack presses. The second-to-last station included 67 “8-count pushups,” and at the last station, they had to complete 67 repetitions of the “rowing” exercise before returning to their starting point.

After the PT competition, Col. Jones recognized and rewarded the group that finished first.

“It pays to be a winner,” Jones said as he presented each group member with a brigade coin.

The day’s festivities continued with a cake cutting ceremony. Col. Jones recognized additional Soldiers for outstanding achievements before inviting the Brigade’s youngest and oldest Soldiers to join him in cutting the cake, in keeping with time-honored Army tradition.

After celebrating their organization’s birthday, the brigade’s Soldiers and leaders soon turned their attention to conducting live-fire training and continuing their mission as a deployed rotational supply brigade. Throughout their history, the Soldiers of the Wagonmaster Brigade have served honorably and will continue to meet the supply needs of the 1st Cavalry Division at home and abroad.