Military

3rd Combat Aviation Brigade Hosts Golden Spur Ceremony For Vietnam Veteran

February 21, 2022Coffee or Die
3rd Combat Aviation Brigade

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Paulus, the commander of the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, presents Lothar “Joe” Funke with his gold spurs at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, Feb. 17. Funke was awarded his gold spurs 50 years after serving in the Vietnam War from 1968-1969. The “Order of the Spur” is a timeless cavalry tradition that allows Soldiers to earn gold spurs by serving in combat, or earn silver spurs by successfully completing a unit spur ride event. (Army photo by Sgt. Savannah Roy)

Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. – Leaders and Soldiers from across the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, gathered to witness Lothar “Joe” Funke, a U.S. Army Vietnam War Veteran, receive his gold spurs after 50 years, Feb. 17 at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.


The “Order of the Spur” is a timeless cavalry tradition that allows Soldiers to earn gold spurs by serving in combat, or earn silver spurs by successfully completing a unit spur ride event.


3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
A Soldier holds a tray containing a pair of gold spurs and the “Order of the Gold Spur” prior to a ceremony honoring Lothar “Joe” Funke, a U.S. Army Vietnam War Veteran, at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, Feb. 17. The “Order of the Spur” is a timeless cavalry tradition that allows Soldiers to earn gold spurs by serving in combat, or earn silver spurs by successfully completing a unit spur ride event. US Army photo by Sgt. Savannah Roy.

“All Soldiers who support combat operations while assigned or attached to a cavalry unit earn gold spurs,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Paulus, the commander of the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd CAB. “It is the cavalry equivalent of a combat patch, and denotes those troopers as combat Veterans.”


Funke was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966 as an artilleryman. Shortly after basic and advanced training, Funke was deployed to Vietnam. There, he served as a UH-1 helicopter door gunner for the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division (Air Mobile) from 1967-1968.


3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
An undated photo of Sgt. Lothar “Joe” Funke, a U.S. Army Vietnam War Veteran. The 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, presented Funke his gold spurs after 50 years during a special ceremony, Feb. 17 at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. (Courtesy Photo)

“The U.S. Air Cavalry came into being during the Vietnam War, and troopers like Sgt. Funke were at the vanguard of its development,” said Paulus. “He and his fellow Veteran troopers established the foundation upon which our Squadron is built.”


When Funke left the U.S. Army in 1972, he was never awarded his gold spurs for combat operations in Vietnam. Fifty years later, the 3rd Sqn., 17th Cav. Regt., command team embraced the opportunity to induct Funke into the Order of the Gold Spur, finally presenting him with the coveted gold spurs.


“The opportunity for us to present Sgt. Funke with his spurs after 50 years is an honor for the Squadron and one that we could not pass up,” said Paulus. “It is a testament to the traditions and brotherhood that the U.S. Cavalry embodies – once a cavalryman, always a cavalryman.”


3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, stand in formation to witness Lothar “Joe” Funke, a U.S. Army Vietnam War Veteran, receive his gold spurs after 50 years, Feb. 17 at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. The “Order of the Spur” is a timeless cavalry tradition that allows Soldiers to earn gold spurs by serving in combat, or earn silver spurs by successfully completing a unit spur ride event. US Army photo by Sgt. Savannah Roy.

The 3rd ID commanding general, Maj. Gen. Charles Costanza, appreciated the opportunity for the Division to provide overdue recognition and gratitude.


“Vietnam Veterans fought and served under extremely challenging conditions, and were not always welcomed or commended when they returned home,” he said. “It means a lot to us that more than 50 years later, this generation of Marne Soldiers could contribute to Mr. Funke being properly recognized for his service to our nation.”


Read Next: Killeen Police: No Warning Issued to Disabled Veteran During Service Dog Spat



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Coffee or Die

Coffee or Die is Black Rifle Coffee Company’s online lifestyle magazine. Launched in June 2018, the magazine covers a variety of topics that generally focus on the people, places, or things that are interesting, entertaining, or informative to America’s coffee drinkers — often going to dangerous or austere locations to report those stories.

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