Hello and welcome to the home of the 973rd COB (Civilians on the Battlefield). We are a group of American citizens and patriots who have decided that the definition of “support our troops” must mean something more than just sticking a magnet on the back of our cars.
It started with three of us, Brad Bakke, Aaron Allen and myself in May of 2007 when we were invited to serve as OPFOR with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry. Being flabby, out of shape and totally unprepared for the physical challenges, I ended up sick in bed for almost three weeks after this first drill at Goshen State Police Range. Nevertheless, frail constitution aside, all of us knew we’d tumbled onto something important.
In January 2008, when the battalion returned to the field, Bethany Jones, Taylor Marks, Gaelen Bradley, Shaun Phillips and I served as OPFOR for both Alpha Company and Charlie Company, 2-162. We spent Saturday in the shoot-house at Goshen in the rain (later snow) with Alpha, then drove up to Camp Withycombe outside of Portland to ambush platoon-sized dismounted patrols from Charlie Company. We finished that mission somewhere after 0300 Sunday morning, just in time to drive back to Eugene and re-populate the shoot house for Alpha again. Altogether, we spent 37 straight hours supporting the battalion that weekend.
The 973rd soon took shape. We are now composed of twenty members and hope to double that number in the months to come. Frankly, it is an honor just to be associated with my fellow COB’s. They are dedicated Americans who have shown that we can support the War on Terror even though we do not wear a uniform.
Please, take a look around. See what we do, what we believe in, and how seriously we take our mission: To Prepare Those Who Serve. If you are searching for a way to support our troops, joining the 973rd COB is one of the most meaningful ways of doing it. You will be tested to your limits. You will find out just how much steel resides inside you. You will be called on to give your last ounces of energy over the course of a drill weekend, but when it is over, you will find that the experience is not only rewarding, but instills a sense of pride of accomplishment rarely found in life. Joining us is not a commitment to take lightly. It requires sacrifice and dedication and a measure of risk. But nothing worthwhile comes easy.
The men we support are some of the finest I’ve ever known. I got to know the Volunteers of 2-162 Infantry starting in 2005 when I began researching The Devil’s Sandbox, a book about the battalion’s combat deployment in Iraq. Later that year, I embedded with 2-162 when it deployed to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. For three weeks in unbelievable heat and humidity, I saw first hand the dedication and professionalism of these soldiers as they patrolled amongst the ruins of North Central New Orleans and the Ninth Ward.
Leading the 973rd is my way of matching their dedication, showing these soldiers that whatever their mission—disaster relief or combat in the Middle East—there are people back home who are willing to do whatever they can to help prepare them for that challenge. I owe them at least that after all they have done for Oregon, our country, and for the people of Iraq.
-John Bruning |
