Honored to lead soldiers Posted On: Sunday, Oct. 25 2009 01:36 AM By Amanda Kim Stairrett
Killeen Daily Herald

Col. Reginald Allen was a New York City kid who happened into the military after joining the Civil Air Patrol and JROTC.

"This military stuff is kind of cool," he decided then.

Allen became the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment's 73rd commander April 3. He took over for Col. Michael Bills. At that time, Command Sgt. Maj. William Burns relinquished responsibility as the regiment's senior noncommissioned officer to Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan Hunt.

Hunt served as the senior noncommissioned officer for the regiment's 1st, or "Tiger," Squadron from 2005 to 2009. He has almost 24 years of experience leading soldiers at every level.

Allen and Hunt hit the ground running as they helped their soldiers transition to life at Fort Hood after a deployment. But it didn't take long for the Army to catch up. The Defense Department announced Oct. 8 that four brigade-size Army units would start deploying in the summer to Iraq. The regiment was on that list.

Its soldiers are scheduled for a June rotation to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., and the deployment will follow that.

Family influence

Allen's father was drafted and served in the Korean War. He passed away in 2003, and Allen said he was happy and pleased with the route his son took. Of five siblings, Allen was the only to choose the military.

Allen met his wife in 1996 while he was serving as an aide-de-camp at Fort Knox, Ky. One of his sisters convinced him it would be good for him to see a particular "chick flick." Maybe he'd learn something, she told him.

What he found there was Ingrid Cheatwood of Louisville, Ky. He gave her his business card – something he had plenty of thanks to his job as a general's aide. She didn't give him her number.

Ingrid finally called and the two talked for hours.

"I kind of knew then my bachelor days were over," he said last week.

The two have a 6-year-old daughter, Paris, and 3-year-old son, Xavier.

Allen calls Ingrid his "Oprah." Her people skills are 20 times better, he said, and people easily warm to her.

She takes an active role in creating programs and leading families. The Allens were new to Fort Hood six years ago when Reginald deployed a week after Paris was born. Ingrid got to work leading the family readiness group for the 1,000-troop squadron. By the time the colonel returned from Iraq, he was more widely known as "Ingrid's husband."

Having a spouse who can take on a role like that is a combat multiplier, Allen said, using a common military term. The Army can't require spouses to take on those jobs, but Ingrid does it because she has a big heart, her husband said.

Being the father of two young children gives Allen a perspective that many brigade-level commanders don't have. He can easily relate to a majority of his soldiers when it comes to everyday issues like daycare and health care.

"This is definitely a kid-friendly regiment," he said.

Back to Fort Hood

A 1985 graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, Allen in 2007 attended the National War College in Washington, D.C. He and his family then returned to Fort Hood where he served as operations officer for III Corps.

Allen found out while at the war college he was slated for regimental command a Fort Hood. The colonel grew up in the cavalry and was excited about the opportunity – especially since it was with the last armored cavalry regiment in the Army.

Allen said last week he was humbled and honored to lead the regiment. He understands the proud tradition that surrounds an armored cavalry regiment, especially one that has a 162-year history.

"It's a cavalryman's dream," he said.

One of his early assignments was with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Germany, later deploying with it in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He later commanded one of its troops.

Allen took command of the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, the "Buffalo Soldiers," in June 2003. The 4th Infantry Division squadron spent a year in Iraq as part of a task force that participated in Saddam Hussein's capture, according to information from Fort Hood.

Contact Amanda Kim Stairrett at astair@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7547.

INFO BOX:

For more on the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, including information about its current training, read the Oct. 21 Fort Hood Herald.