5FSS Airman carries out Army tradition

Published Sept. 12, 2016
By Senior Airman Apryl Hall
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- It’s day two of the hardest thing he’s ever done in his life. He’s in the middle of the desert. He hasn’t slept for almost 48 hours. His body is shutting down by the second. Shakily holding himself in the push-up position, he speaks the final words that indicate the hellish test is over: “And go to Fiddler’s Green!” He did it. It’s over.

Tech. Sgt. Matthew Knight, 5th Force Support Squadron NCO in charge of career development, had the opportunity to do something not many Airmen get to do. He completed the traditional “Spur Ride” to become an Army Cavalryman.

In 2009, then Senior Airman Knight was deployed to Balad, Iraq, embedded with the Army’s 1st Infantry Division or the “Big Red One.” The commanding officer offered the deployed soldiers of the 1st ID, whose cavalry roots run deep, to become official Cavalrymen by completing their Spur Ride. Since Knight was attached to the unit, he was included in the offer.

“It’s a rite of passage,” Knight said. “If you’re part of a cavalry unit, with as much history and tradition as they pride themselves on, you need to make sure you can hold your own. What better way to do that than have a Spur Ride, to earn your spurs and do exactly what they did to earn their’s?”

Throughout the two-day Spur Ride, Knight and the soldiers were expected to complete an onslaught of rigorous physical and mental tests. A two-mile run carrying a 50 caliber weapon, physical fitness test, a ruck march through the desert carrying 60-pounds, tests on cavalry history, and an Iraqi special forces obstacle course are just a few tasks faced over the 48-hour period.

“It was all about teamwork, like anything else in the military,” Knight said. “It’s the Army, so you know your body is going to go through hell, but they expect you to overcome it as a team. It was all about testing your abilities and overcoming your fears.”

When all was said and done, and those last few words of the Cavalryman’s Creed were out of his mouth during the last obstacle, Knight knew he had accomplished something rare.

“It was pretty much one of the best moments of my life,” he said. “Not a lot of Air Force guys get to do it. I busted my butt, and I was proud of myself for doing it. I wasn’t just doing it for myself though, I was doing it for the Air Force.”

This particular deployment was a little more difficult for Knight, as he missed the birth of his son. It only made completing the Spur Ride that much more meaningful, he said.

“That deployment had a lot going on,” Knight said. “Knowing I would be deployed when my son was being born, at least I knew if something happened to me my name would be carried on. Getting my spurs was almost as rewarding as that.”

To add even more value to his accomplishment, Knight was especially excited to share the experience with his father.

“My father was Army, so I was definitely honored to do it,” Knight said. “It is one of the highest achievements I’ve ever gotten. Words can’t express how honored I was for the Army to allow me to join in on it and complete it with them.”

Whether he did it for his son, his father, the Air Force or himself, Knight secured his spurs and acorns with the 1st ID during that deployment, and he has worn them proudly ever since.

“To be a Cavalryman means to be part of a tradition, a legacy of honor,” Knight said. “It means you’re a person who goes above and beyond. It’s one of the highest honors to ever be bestowed upon you. It’s just a huge honor.”

An honor he earned “Halfway down the trail to Hell.”