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Airmen, Soldiers visit historic battle site

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. John Gordinier
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Approximately 65 Shaw Airmen and Soldiers traveled to the Battle of Cowpens Memorial in Cowpens, S.C., Jan. 23 for joint training and discussion.

Army's 4th Battlefield Coordination Detachment here hosted the staff ride to "foster a strong sense of professionalism, camaraderie and team-building with Air Force counter parts," said Army Major James Greenlee, Cowpens project officer.

Principally, the goal of the staff ride is to provide a level of knowledge about the battle and to apply the lessons learned from that battle to today's operating environment in the Global War on Terrorism, Major Greenlee said.

The staff ride is designed to be educational and interactive, he said. Select personnel provide a foundation of information about the particular battle, to include actions and counteractions on the battlefield, and then discuss the merits of those decisions and when possible, draw parallels to current operations.

For this staff ride, the Battle of Cowpens was chosen.

The Battle of Cowpens occurred Jan. 17, 1781, between the American Continentals and British Army during the Revolutionary war. The victory gave the Continentals the moral support needed to continue fighting and win the Revolution nine months later. The Battle of Cowpens sent General Cornwallis on the road to Yorktown and to eventual defeat.

During the visit to the memorial, Airmen and Soldiers were briefed about the importance of the battle and how it was fought to include leadership, weather, strategy and weapons.

The speakers were: Scott Winthrow, National Park Service; Capt. Kevin LaCroix, 28th Operational Weather Squadron; Capt. Jeffrey Schnakenberg, 609th Air Intelligence Squadron; Army Maj. Jason Dickerman, 4th BCD; Army Maj. James Greenlee; Army Maj. Dennis Malone, 4th BCD; Army Capt. Michael Bousselot, 4th BCD and Capt. Christopher Long, 609th AIS.

Each speaker had to become familiar with the Battle of Cowpens and the events that led up to the battle during the Revolutionary war, Major Greenlee said. Each speaker was assigned a particular leader to research. The briefer had to know what that leader did, what his actions were and the leader's biography. Also, the briefer compared recent events in the Global War on Terror and the Revolutionary War.

"I found the Staff Ride to be very informative," said Senior Airman Marshall Champion, 609th AIS. "I have always had an interest in history, particularly military history. Besides personal interests, the Staff Ride taught me some useful applications even in this modern age.

"I enjoy the rich history and life applicable examples," he said. "I think Otto Von Bismarck once summed up my thoughts when he said, 'Fools learn from their mistakes. I prefer to learn from others' mistakes.'"