Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron

The Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron is a specialized unit within the US Army's new Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB) that blends ground Cavalry troops with an Elite Long Range Surveillance (LRS) Airborne Infantry Company continuing the [US Army]'s march toward a modular force.

The Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron (R&S's) consisting of a Headquarters Troop, (Company C) Long Range Surveillance (LRS) unit (Airborne Infantry Company) for strategic level Long Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance missions (the backbone of the R&S and the BfSB), two ground (Troops A and B) Cavalry Troops for basic tactical Reconnaissance taskings and the Reconnaissance & Surveillance SquadronR&S's mounted Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and Ready Reaction Force (RRF) Security Force (SECFOR), dismounted Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and Ready Reaction Force (RRF) Security Force (SECFOR) and one line Infantry Company responsible for the Reconnaissance & Surveillance SquadronR&S's Base Security Force (SECFOR).

Lt. Col. James Gaylord and Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Dostie present the company guidon at the 38th Cavalry Regiment’s activation ceremony Thursday. Fort Bragg’s newest unit unfurled its flag Thursday. The activation of the 1st Squadron of the 38th Cavalry Regiment added about 300 Soldiers to Fort Bragg. They included Staff Sgt. Roch Schenk, who sat on horseback in an Army uniform from the Indian wars of the late 1800s on the parade field. Squadron officers wore black Stetson hats at the ceremony in honor of their horse cavalry heritage. Each troop stood in formation with its red-and-white cavalry guidon. “Based on lessons learned from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army leaders saw a need for a very special unit”, Col. Joe Cox said. Cox is commander of the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, the host for the ceremony and the squadron’s parent organization. The parade field is in the brigade area at Jackson and Letterman streets. The squadron is designed to conduct Reconnaissance and Surveillance operations for divisions, corps and joint task forces, Cox said. The commanders of those large units have a “near-insatiable appetite for persistent Surveillance during the day and night, in all weather conditions”, he said. “Army architects developed a blueprint for a multifunctional organization that blends ground cavalry troops with a Long Range Surveillance company, which is Airborne”, Cox said. The Long Range Surveillance company’s Soldiers stood in the formation wearing the elite Maroon Beret of Airborne Soldiers. Other Soldiers wore the Army’s standard black beret. The newly activated unit is the Army’s first Reconnaissance & Surveillance Squadron R&S within the newly formed Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB)s, Cox said. “Scouts, Snipers, Paratroopers, artillerymen, tactical air controllers, combat medics, coupled with communications and intelligence personnel, can just about accomplish any mission”, Cox said. The squadron soon will add unmanned aerial vehicles, Cox said. The commander is Lt. Col. Jim Gaylord, who graduated from West Point in 1992 and was commissioned as an armor officer. Earlier this month, he made his first parachute jump in more than 17 years, Cox said. “So he is no longer referred to as the item attached to the back of a chicken, that being a dirty, nasty leg”, Cox said. “Leg” is a disparaging term used by some Paratroopers for non-airborne personnel. “Although we are activating a new unit, we have a wealth of experience in the ranks”, Gaylord said. Of the squadron's Soldiers, 128 have been deployed and served a combined 1,560 months in combat zones, he said. Four have Purple Hearts for combat wounds, and four have valor awards. “I’d also like to point out we have at least one cavalryman who can ride a horse”, Gaylord said. Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Dostie, who was trained as a cavalry scout, is the senior noncommissioned officer. He was a Sheridan tank gunner in the 194th Separate Armored Brigade at Fort Knox, Ky. The 282nd Army Band from Fort Jackson, SC, played “Gary Owen”, a traditional cavalry tune, as the Soldiers marched off the parade field.

...
Wikipedia