Capt. Pace Murray was a young hopeful man from Boiling Springs, South Carolina, who spent four hard-working years at the U.S. Military Academy to become a commissioned officer. Now, he is leading Soldiers from Dragon Company with 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasans,ˮ 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during Cadet Summer Training.
“It is a surreal moment for me, I have so many memories tied to this place,ˮ Murray said. “This is where I initially commissioned as an officer and now I have the honor of taking command of an awesome group of Soldiers at the place where it all started.ˮ
Murray graduated from West Point in 2016, becoming a second lieutenant, and now he’s returned as a captain with Task Force Leader from the 101st ADAA.
The task force members are here to educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets and visiting participants.
The training is coordinated to develop each cadet into a leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the U.S. Army.
After commissioning at West Point, Murray started his journey to become a captain.
“I went to Fort Benning to attend the Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course (IBOLC),ˮ Murray said. “All infantry lieutenants must complete this course.ˮ
IBOLC is about seven weeks long. The course trains and develops second lieutenants to be competent and adaptive infantry officers prepared to lead platoons into combat. The seven-week course consists of combat lethality, M4 qualifications, land navigation, 12-mile foot-march, five-mile run, platoon live fire and more.
After conquering all the challenges this course had to offer, Murray gave more blood, sweat and tears attacking his next task.
“After IBOLC, I then gave my all at Ranger School from the winter of 2017 into the spring of 2017,ˮ Murray said.
Ranger School is also at Fort Benning. It is a mentally and physically challenging school that develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct-fire battles. For 62 days, the students train extensively, pushing the limits of their minds and bodies. The course incorporates three phases (Benning, Mountain and Swamp), which follows the crawl, walk and run training methodology.
After completing Ranger School, Murray was stationed in Germany as a platoon leader for the 2nd Cavalry Regiment for three years before returning to Fort Benning in 2020 to attend the Captains Career Course. Following that course, he soon became an instructor at IBLOC for two years until arriving at Fort Campbell in 2022.
Getting settled into his new home, Murray was eager to become a commander of Dragon Company.
“I arrived at Fort Campbell and was working for staff when we started to prepare to come to West Point,ˮ he said. “Knowing I was going to take command, I was ecstatic and ready.ˮ
Murray added that West Point gave him everything he needed to become a leader with high standards and guide his Soldiers in the right direction.
“I would not have wanted this any other way,ˮ Murray said. “This school molded me into the leader I am today, and I am grateful to take command of a company here, where it all started.ˮ
Not only is Murray commanding and leading Soldiers, he is also teaching cadets how to become extraordinary leaders. Murray added that understanding what the cadets are going through and experiencing CST from a cadetʼs and a leader’s perspective allows him to see the full spectrum of summer training and how they can develop into efficient leaders over their four-year tenure.
“I want to give them tough, realistic training over the summer,ˮ he concluded. “Allowing them to come out here and experience how our team leaders and squad leaders react in certain situations is good. They will know how to communicate and understand infantry noncommissioned officers.ˮ