1st Cavalry Division (United States)

{{Short description|United States Army combat formation}}

{{distinguish|1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)}}

{{more citations needed|date=June 2018||Unit organization=11 Aviation Group.|talk=1st Cav deployed from Fort Benning Ga to Vietnam with the 11th Aviation Group consisting of 227 Assault Helicopter Battalion (UH-1), 229 Assault Helicopter Battalion (UH-1)and 228 Heavy Lift Battalion.(CH-47)}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2015}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

{{Infobox military unit

| unit_name = 1st Cavalry Division

| image = 1st Cavalry Division Patch.svg

| image_size = 150px

| caption = The 1st Cavalry Division's shoulder sleeve insignia

| start_date = 1921

| dates =

| country = {{flagu|United States}}

| allegiance =

| branch = {{army|United States}}

| type = Combined arms

| role =

| size = Division

| command_structure = III Armored Corps

| current_commander = Major General
Thomas M. Feltey

| garrison = Fort Cavazos, Texas

| nickname = "First Team"

| patron =

| motto = "America's First Team!"

| website = [https://www.army.mil/1stcav Official Website]

| colors =

| march = "Garryowen"

| mascot = Trigger the Horse

| battles = {{tree list}}

{{tree list/end}}

| notable_commanders = Full list of commanders

| anniversaries =

| identification_symbol = File:1st Cavalry Division - Distinctive Unit Insignia.svg

| identification_symbol_label = Distinctive unit insignia

| identification_symbol_2 = File:Flag of the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division.svg

| identification_symbol_2_label = Flag

}}

{{US Cavalry

|previous=none

|next=2nd Cavalry Division

|unit=Division

}}

The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team"){{cite web|title=Special Unit Designations |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html |publisher=United States Army Center of Military History |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=23 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609010022/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html |archive-date=9 June 2010 |url-status=dead }} is a combined arms division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army.{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=364 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302001001/http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=364 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 March 2010 |title=News Release: Army Announces Divisions to Remain in the 10-Division Force |publisher=Defense.gov |date=12 March 2009 |access-date=13 November 2011}} It is based at Fort Cavazos, Texas. It was formed in 1921 and served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, with the Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan as well as Operation Freedom's Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve. As of July 2023, the 1st Cavalry Division is subordinate to the III Armored Corps and is commanded by Major General Thomas M. Feltey.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

The unit is unique in that it has served as a cavalry division, an infantry division, an air assault division and an armored division during its existence.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

History

= Early history =

The history of the 1st Cavalry Division began in 1921, after the Army established a permanent cavalry division table of organization and equipment on 4 April 1921. It authorized a square division organization of 7,463 officers and men, organized as follows:{{cite web | url=https://www.first-team.us/tableaux/chapt_01/ | publisher=Cavalry Outpost Publications | title=1st Cavalry Division: The Early Years | accessdate= June 1, 2024| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408231054/https://www.first-team.us/tableaux/chapt_01/ | archivedate=April 8, 2023}}

  • Headquarters Element (34 men)
  • Two Cavalry Brigades (2,803 men each)
  • Field Artillery Battalion (790 men)
  • Engineer Battalion (357 men)
  • Division Quartermaster Trains Command (276 men)
  • Special Troops Command (337 men)
  • Ambulance Company (63 men)

File:1st Cavalry Division’s Horse Cavalry Detachment charge across Noel Field, activation of 4th BCT, 1st Armor Division, Fort Bliss, TX 2005.jpg, Texas, 2005.]]

On 20 August 1921, the War Department constituted the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Divisions in the Regular Army to meet partial mobilization requirements, authorizing the establishment of the 1st Cavalry Division under the new TO&E on 31 August 1921. Since the 1st Cavalry Division was to be organized from existing units, the division headquarters was activated on 13 September 1921, even though all of the division's subordinate units did not arrive until 1922.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

The 1st Cavalry Division was allotted to the Eighth Corps Area and assigned to the Third Army. The division headquarters and 2nd Cavalry Brigade were located at Fort Bliss, Texas, while the 1st Cavalry Brigade was stationed at Camp Harry J. Jones in Douglas, Arizona. The headquarters facilities used by the 1st Cavalry Division were those previously vacated by the 8th Brigade when it was commanded by MG John J. Pershing in 1916, and the wartime 15th Cavalry Division, which had existed at Fort Bliss between 10 December 1917 and 12 May 1918.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

File:1st Cavalry Division Band - OIF 2 - Color Uncasing Ceremony.jpg

The 1st, 7th, and 8th Cavalry Regiments had previously been assigned to the wartime 15th Cavalry Division until they were returned to the Eighth Corps Area troop list on 12 May 1918. The 1st Cavalry Regiment remained assigned until it was transferred to the 1st Cavalry Division on 20 August 1921. The 7th, 8th, and 10th Cavalry Regiments were transferred on 13 September 1921, although the assignment of the 10th Cavalry Regiment to the 1st Cavalry Division was controversial because the transfer violated the Jim Crow laws.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} This controversy continued until 18 December 1922, when the 5th Cavalry Regiment, then on the VIII Corps Area Troop List, swapped places with the 10th Cavalry Regiment.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

In 1923, the 1st Cavalry Division held division maneuvers for the first time, intending to hold them annually thereafter. However, financial constraints made that impossible. Only in 1927, through the generosity of a few ranchers who provided free land, was the division able to conduct such exercises again. In 1928 Major General Herbert B. Crosby, Chief of Cavalry, faced with personnel cuts, reorganized the cavalry regiments, which in turn reduced the size of the 1st Cavalry Division. Crosby's goal was to decrease overhead while maintaining or increasing firepower in the regiments. After the reorganization, each cavalry regiment consisted of a headquarters and headquarters troop, a machine gun troop, a medical and chaplain element, and two squadrons, each with a headquarters element and two line troops. The cavalry brigades' machine gun squadrons were inactivated, while the responsibility for training and employing machine guns fell to the regimental commanders, as in the infantry.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

At about the same time, Crosby cut the cavalry regiment, and the army staff, seeking to increase the usefulness of the wartime cavalry division, published new tables of organization for an even larger unit. The new structure increased the size of the signal troop (177), expanded the medical unit to a squadron (233), and endorsed Crosby's movement of the machine gun units from the brigades to the regiments (2x176). A divisional aviation section, an armored car squadron (278), and a tank company (155) were added, the field artillery battalion was expanded to a regiment (1,717), and divisional strength rose to 9,595.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

= Prelude to World War II =

File:Cavalry Division 1 November 1940.jpg

With the arrival of the 1930s, serious work started on the testing and refining of new equipment and TO&Es for a mechanized and motorized army. To facilitate this, the 1st Cavalry Division traded the 1st Cavalry Regiment, which was in the process of being reorganized as a separate mechanized unit, for the 12th Cavalry Regiment from the 2nd Cavalry Division on 3 January 1933.{{cite book|last=Clay|first=Steven E.|date=2010|title=U.S. Army Order of Battle, 1919-1941, Volume 2. The Arms: Cavalry, Field Artillery, and Coast Artillery, 1919-41|location=Fort Leavenworth, Kansas|publisher=Combat Studies Institute Peess|page=616, 624}} Taking into account recommendations from the VIII Corps Area, the Army War College, and the Command and General Staff School, the board developed a new smaller triangular cavalry division, which the 1st Cavalry Division evaluated during maneuvers at Toyahvale, Texas, in 1938. Like the 1937 infantry division test, the maneuvers concentrated on the divisional cavalry regiments around which all other units were to be organized.

Following the test, a board of 1st Cavalry Division officers, headed by Brigadier General Kenyon A. Joyce, rejected the three-regiment division and recommended retention of the two-brigade (four-regiment) organization. The latter configuration allowed the division to deploy easily in two columns, which was accepted as standard cavalry tactics. However, the board advocated reorganizing the cavalry regiment along triangular lines, which would give it a headquarters and headquarters troop, a machine gun squadron with special weapons and machine gun troops, and three rifle squadrons, each with one machine gun and three rifle troops. No significant change was made in the field artillery, but the test showed that the engineering element should remain a squadron to provide the divisional elements greater mobility on the battlefield and that the special troops idea should be extended to include the division headquarters, signal, and ordnance troops; quartermaster, medical, engineer, reconnaissance, and observation squadrons; and a chemical warfare detachment. One headquarters would assume responsibility for the administration and disciplinary control of these forces.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Although the study did not lead to a general reorganization of the cavalry division, the wartime cavalry regiment was restructured, effective 1 December 1938, to consist of a headquarters and headquarters troop, machine gun and special weapons troops, and three squadrons of three rifle troops each. The special troops remained as structured in 1928, and no observation squadron or chemical detachment found a place in the division. With the paper changes in the cavalry divisions and other minor adjustments, the strength of a wartime divisional rose to 10,680.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

In order to prepare for war service, 1st Cavalry Division participated in the following maneuvers:

  • Toyahvale, TX Maneuvers – 7 October through 30 October 1939.
  • Cravens-Pitkin Louisiana Maneuvers – 13 August through 24 August 1940.
  • Second 3rd Army Louisiana Maneuvers – 10 August through 4 October 1941.
  • VIII Corps Louisiana Maneuvers near Mansfield, LA – 27 July 1942 – 21 September 1942.

= World War II =

== Composition ==

File:United States World War II 1st Cavalry Division 1942 Structure.png

File:United States World War II 1st Cavalry Division 1944-45 Structure.png

The division was composed of the following units:{{cite web |title=Component Elements of the 1st Cavalry Divisions in World War II |url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cavcomp.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026030638/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cavcomp.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 October 2008 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |access-date=23 May 2020}}

  • 1st Cavalry Brigade
  • 5th Cavalry Regiment
  • 12th Cavalry Regiment
  • 2nd Cavalry Brigade
  • 7th Cavalry Regiment
  • 8th Cavalry Regiment
  • 1st Cavalry Division Artillery
  • 61st Field Artillery Battalion
  • 82nd Field Artillery Battalion
  • 99th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 271st Field Artillery Battalion
  • 1st Medical Squadron
  • 8th Engineer Squadron
  • 16th Quartermaster Squadron
  • 1st Signal Troop
  • 27th Ordnance Company
  • 302nd Reconnaissance Troop
  • 603rd Medium Tank Company
  • 801st CIC Detachment
  • Headquarters Troop

== Training ==

File:1st Cav troops at Leyte.jpg.]]

With the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the "great laboratory" phase for developing and testing organizations, about which Marshall wrote in the summer of 1941, closed, but the War Department still had not developed ideal infantry, cavalry, armored, and motorized divisions. In 1942 it again revised the divisions based on experiences gained during the great GHQ maneuvers of the previous year. As in the past, the reorganizations ranged from minor adjustments to wholesale changes.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

1st Cavalry Division retained its square configuration after the 1941 maneuvers, but with modifications. The division lost its antitank troop, the brigades their weapons troops, and the regiments their machine gun and special weapons troops. These changes brought no decrease in divisional firepower, but placed most weapons within the cavalry troops. The number of .50-caliber machine guns was increased almost threefold. In the reconnaissance squadron, the motorcycle and armored car troops were eliminated, leaving the squadron with one support troop and three reconnaissance troops equipped with light tanks. These changes increased the division from 11,676 to 12,112 officers and enlisted men.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

The last of the 1st Cavalry Division's mounted units permanently retired their horses and converted to infantry formations on 28 February 1943. However, a mounted special ceremonial unit known as the Horse Platoon – later, the Horse Cavalry Detachment – was established within the division in January 1972. Its ongoing purpose is to represent the traditions and heritage of the American horse cavalry at military ceremonies and public events.{{cite web |url=http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/horsedet/default.html |title=The Horse Cavalry Detachment |publisher=Hood.army.mil |access-date=13 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102023830/http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/horseDet/default.html |archive-date=2 November 2011 }}

1st Cavalry Division reported for its port call at Camp Stoneman, CA as follows:

class=wikitable
style="background:#efefef;"

! Unit

! Staged

! Departed

! Arrived

| HHT, 1st Cavalry Division21 June 194326 June11 July
| HHT, 1st Cavalry Brigade21 June 19433 July24 July
| HHT, 2nd Cavalry Brigade18 June 194326 June11 July
| 5th Cavalry Regiment20 June 19432 July24 July
| 7th Cavalry Regiment18 June 194326 June11 July
| 8th Cavalry Regiment18 June 194326 June11 July
| 12th Cavalry Regiment20 June 19433 July24 July
| HHB, Division Artillery
| 61st Field Artillery Battalion3 July 194324 July
| 82nd Field Artillery Battalion4 June 194323 June
| 99th Field Artillery Battalion23 May 194323 June
| 8th Engineer Squadron23 May 194318 June
| 1st Medical Squadron
| 16th Quartermaster Squadron
| 7th Cavalry Recon Squadron26 June 194311 July
| 1st Antitank Troop
| 1st Signal Troop
| 101st Unit Search and Rescue Team10 May 1945

{{Clear}}

== Combat chronicle ==

Although originally part of the III Corps (which eventually participated in the European Theater), while training in the United States, most of the 1st Cavalry Division arrived in Australia as shown above, continued its training at Strathpine, Queensland, until 26 July, then moved to New Guinea to stage for the Admiralties campaign 22–27 February 1944. The division experienced its first combat in the Admiralty Islands, units landing at Los Negros on 29 February 1944. Momote airstrip was secured against great odds. Attacks by the Japanese were thrown back, and the enemy force surrounded by the end of March. Nearby islands were taken in April and May. The division next took part in the invasion of Leyte, on 20 October 1944, captured Tacloban and the adjacent airstrip, advanced along the north coast, and secured Leyte Valley, with elements landing on and securing Samar Island. Moving down Ormoc Valley (in Leyte) and across the Ormoc plain, the division reached the west coast of Leyte on 1 January 1945.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

The division then invaded Luzon, landing in the Lingayen Gulf area on 27 January 1945, and fought its way as a "flying column" to Manila by 3 February 1945. More than 3,000 civilian prisoners at the University of Santo Tomas, including more than 60 US Army nurses (some of the "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor") were liberated,50th Anniversary Commemorative Album of the Flying Column 1945–1995: The Liberation of Santo Tomas Internment Camp 3 February 1945, by Rose Contey-Aiello (1995) ({{ISBN|0-9645150-0-8}}; {{ISBN|978-0-9645150-0-0}}); G. Ward and K. Burns, The War: An Intimate History, 1941–1945, p. 342 (Alfred A. Knopf 2007) and the 1st Cavalry then advanced east of Manila by the middle of February before the city was cleared. On 20 February the division was assigned the mission of seizing and securing crossings over the Marikina River and securing the Tagaytay-Antipolo Line. After being relieved on 12 March in the Antipolo area during the middle of the Battle of Wawa Dam, elements pushed south into Batangas and provinces of the Bicol Region together with recognized guerrillas. They mopped up the remaining pockets of resistance in these areas in small unit actions. Resistance was officially declared at an end on 1 July 1945.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

== Casualties ==

  • Total battle casualties: 4,055Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistics and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953)
  • Killed in action: 734
  • Wounded in action: 3,311
  • Missing in action: 9
  • Prisoner of war: 1

= Postwar =

The division left Luzon on 25 August 1945 for occupation duty in Japan, arriving in Yokohama on 2 September 1945 and entering Tokyo on 8 September, the first United States division to enter the Japanese capital. 101 unit was set up in May 1945 to search for the missing soldiers in the Second World War. The detachment consisted of two officers (Captain MacColeman and Lieutenant Foley) and 15 enlisted members. The operation was successful, although it lasted three years. Occupation duty in Japan followed for the next five years.

= Korean War =

On 25 June 1950, North Korea attacked South Korea, and the 1st Cavalry Division was rushed to Korea to help shore up the Pusan Perimeter, landing on Pohang On 18 July 1950.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

After the X Corps attack at Incheon, a breakout operation was launched at the Pusan Perimeter. The division then joined the UN counteroffensive that recaptured most of South Korea by the end of September. The UN offensive was continued northwards, past Seoul, and across the 38th Parallel into North Korea on 1 October. The momentum of the attack was maintained, and the race to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, ended on 19 October when elements of the division and the Republic of Korea Army (ROK) 1st Infantry Division captured the city. The advance continued, but against unexpectedly stiffening resistance. The Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) entered the war on the side of North Korea, making their first attacks in late October.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

On 28 October 1950, Eighth Army commander General Walton Walker relieved the 1st Cavalry Division of its security mission in Pyongyang. The division's new orders were to pass through the ROK 1st Division's lines at Unsan and attack toward the Yalu River. Leading the way on the twenty-ninth, the 8th Cavalry Regiment departed Pyongyang and reached Yongsan-dong that evening. The 5th Cavalry Regiment arrived the next morning, with the mission to protect the 8th Cavalry Regiment's rear. With the arrival of the 8th Cavalry Regiment at Unsan on the 31st, the ROK 1st Division redeployed to positions northeast, east, and southeast of Unsan; the 8th Cavalry took up positions north, west, and south of the town. Meanwhile, the ROK 15th Regiment was desperately trying to hold its position east of the 8th Cavalry, across the Samt'an River.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

During the afternoon of 1 November, the PVA attack north of Unsan gained strength against the ROK 15th Regiment and gradually extended to the right flank of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry. At nightfall, the 1st Battalion controlled the northern approaches to the Samt'an River, except for portions of the ROK 15th Regiment's zone on the east side. The battalion's position on the left was weak; there were not enough soldiers to extend the defensive line to the main ridge leading into Unsan. This left a gap between the 1st and 2nd Battalions. East of the Samt'an the ROK 15th Regiment was under heavy attack, and shortly after midnight it no longer existed as a combat force. At 19:30 on 1 November, the PVA 116th Division attacked the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, all along its line. At 21:00 PVA troops found the weak link in the ridgeline and began moving through it and down the ridge behind the 2nd Battalion, penetrating its right flank and encircling its left. Now both the 1st and 2nd Battalions were engaged by the enemy on several sides. Around midnight, the 8th Cavalry received orders to withdraw southward to Ipsok. At 01:30 on 2 November, no PVA activity was reported in the 3rd Battalion's sector south of Unsan. But as the 8th Cavalry withdrew, all three battalions became trapped by roadblocks made by the PVA 347th Regiment, 116th Division south of Unsan during the early morning hours. Members of the 1st Battalion who were able to escape reached the Ipsok area. A head count showed the battalion had lost about 15 officers and 250 enlisted men. Members of the 2nd Battalion, for the most part, scattered into the hills. Many of them reached the ROK lines near Ipsok. Others met up with the 3rd Battalion, the hardest hit. Around 03:00 the PVA launched a surprise attack on the battalion command post. Hand-to-hand fighting ensued for about half an hour before the PVA was driven from the area. The disorganized members of the 3rd Battalion formed a core of resistance around three tanks on the valley floor and held off the PVA until daylight. By that time, only six officers and 200 enlisted men were still able to function. More than 170 were wounded, and the number of dead or missing were uncounted. Attempts by the 5th Cavalry to relieve the beleaguered battalion were unsuccessful, and the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, soon ceased to exist as an organized force.[https://www.army.mil/article/213107/1st_cavalry_division_soldier_missing_since_korean_war_laid_to_rest Capt. Scott Kuhn (29 October 2018) 1st Cavalry Division Soldier missing since Korean War laid to rest] 3rd Bn, 8th Cav Regiment. Missing since 2 November 1950, remains repatriated July 2018.

Following the battle, there were disparaging rumors about the 1st Cavalry Division's fighting abilities, including a folk song of the time called "The Bug-Out Ballad".{{cite web|url=http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiBUGOUT;ttMOVINGON.html |title=The Bug-Out Ballad |publisher=Sniff.numachi.com |access-date=13 November 2011}} The series of engagements that were rumored to have given rise to the song were due (at least partly) to the myth that the division lost its unit colors.{{cite web| url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/loss.html | title = Loss of Colors| publisher=United States Army Center of Military History| access-date= 13 July 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100609010006/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/loss.html| archive-date= 9 June 2010| url-status= dead}} Other Army and Marine units disparagingly described the division shoulder insignia as representing 'The horse they never rode, the river they never crossed, and the yellow speaks for itself'. Another version goes: "The shield they never carried, the horse they never rode, the bridge they never crossed, the line they never held, and the yellow is the reason why."

File:1st Cavalry Division arrives in Korea.jpg|Division troops land at Pohang, Korea.

File:Bazookas Korea.jpg|Cavalrymen holding a 2.36 in bazooka.

File:105-mm-howitzer-korea.jpg| Gun crew of a 105mm howitzer in action along the 1st Cavalry Division sector.

File:Hill 518.jpg|A Division observation post overlooks Hill 518, held by the North Koreans north of Waegwan. September 1950.

File:1st Cav at Naktong River.jpg|A .50 Cal. Machine gun squad of Co. E, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, fires on North Koreans along the north bank of the Naktong River, 26 August 1950.

File:In this undated file photo, U.S. Army Capt. Emil Kapaun, right, a chaplain with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, helps a Soldier carry an exhausted troop off the battlefield 130311-A-CP123-001.jpg|Capt. Emil Kapaun, right, a chaplain with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, helps evacuate an exhausted soldier from the battlefield.

The 1st Cavalry Division remained in the line until it was relieved by the 45th Infantry Division from the Oklahoma Army National Guard in January 1952. Following the relief, the division returned to Japan. The division returned to Korea in 1957, where it remained until 1965.

= Vietnam War =

{{more|11th Airborne Division (United States)#11th Air Assault Division (Test)}}

File:Blue Team 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry 1st Air Cav troops dismount.jpg

File:US 1st Cavalry Division ORBAT, 1965.png

As a result of the Howze Board, helicopters were used in Vietnam for reconnaissance, command and control, troop transport, attack gunships, aerial rocket artillery, medical evacuation, and supply.{{cite web |last1=Spiller |first1=Roger J. |title=Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939 |url=http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Spiller/Spiller.asp |website=www-cgsc.army.mil |publisher=Combined Arms Research Library |access-date=5 May 2022 |ref=19 Oct 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021019195609/http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Spiller/Spiller.asp |archive-date=19 October 2002 |url-status=dead}}{{pd-notice}} It was a revolution in maneuver doctrine that freed the infantry from the limitations of terrain to attack the enemy at the time and place of its choosing.

The 11th Airborne Division had been reactivated at Fort Benning on 1 February 1963 and redesignated as the 11th Air Assault Division (Test). In September 1963, Air Assault I exercises tested the Airmobility concept at the battalion level at Fort Stewart in Georgia. Air Assault II, a much larger exercise, was conducted across two states in October 1964. The 11th Air Assault Division operated against the 82nd Airborne Division and the 11th thoroughly dominated the exercise.{{cite web|url=http://www.armyaviationmagazine.com/index.php/history/not-so-current-2/1355-11th-air-assault-division-test-2|title=11th Air Assault Division (Test)|website=www.armyaviationmagazine.com|access-date=5 May 2022|archive-date=16 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516181020/http://www.armyaviationmagazine.com/index.php/history/not-so-current-2/1355-11th-air-assault-division-test-2|url-status=dead}}

When the test proved successful, the assets of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test), the 10th Air Transport Brigade, and the 2nd Infantry Division were merged into a single unit. The colors and subordinate unit designations of the 1st Cavalry Division were transferred from its post in Korea. On 3 July 1965, the colors of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) were cased and retired and the 1st Air Cavalry Division colors were moved onto the field at Doughboy Stadium and passed to the commander of the former 11th Air Assault Division, Major General Kinnard.{{cite web |title=1st Cavalry Division History - Ft. Benning, Airmobile 1965 |url=http://www.first-team.us/tableaux/chapt_07/ |website=www.first-team.us |access-date=20 April 2022}} At the same time, the personnel and units of the 1st Cavalry Division that remained in Korea were reflagged as a new 2nd Infantry Division. On 29 July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the 1st Air Cavalry Division to Vietnam.{{cite journal |last1=Lepore |first1=Herbert P. |title=The Coming of Age: The Role of the Helicopter in the Vietnam War |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26304086 |journal=Army History |access-date=20 April 2022 |pages=29–36 |date=1994|issue=29 |jstor=26304086 }}{{rp|30}}Flanagan, p. 378.[http://www.first-team.us/tableaux/chapt_07/ Reflagging the Division for Vietnam]

class=wikitable
style="background:#efefef;"

! 1st Cavalry Designation

! Previous Designation

| HHC, 1st Cavalry DivisionHHC, 11th Air Assault Division (Test)
| 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry
| 40px HHC, 1st Brigade (Airborne), 1st Cavalry Division40px HHC, 1st Brigade (Airborne), 11th Air Assault Division (Test)
| 40px 1st Battalion (Airborne), 8th Cavalry40px 1st Battalion (Airborne), 188th Infantry
| 40px 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 8th Cavalry40px 1st Battalion (Airborne), 511th Infantry
| 40px 1st Battalion (Airborne), 12th Cavalry40px 1st Battalion (Airborne), 187th Infantry
| HHC, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry DivisionHHC, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
| 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry1st Battalion, 38th Infantry
| 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry
| 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry
| HHC, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry DivisionHHC, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
| 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry2d Battalion, 23d Infantry
| 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry
| 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry1st Battalion, 11th Infantry
| HHB, 1st Cavalry Division ArtilleryHHB, 11th Air Assault Division Artillery
| 40px 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 19th Artillery (105mm)6th Battalion, 81st Artillery (105mm)
| 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery (Aerial Rocket)3rd Battalion, 377th Artillery (Aerial Rocket)
| 1st Battalion, 21st Artillery (105mm)5th Battalion, 38th Artillery (105mm)
| 1st Battalion, 77th Artillery (105mm)1st Battalion, 15th Artillery (105mm)
| Battery E, 82nd Artillery (AVN)Battery E, 26th Artillery (AVN)
| HHC & Band, Support Command, 1st Cavalry DivisionHHC & Band, Support Command, 11th Air Assault Division (Test)
| 15th Medical Battalion11th Medical Battalion
| 15th Supply & Services Battalion408th Supply & Services Battalion
| 40px Aerial Equipment Supply Company (Airborne)165th Aerial Equipment Supply Detachment
| 15th Administrative Company11th Administrative Company
| 27th Maintenance Battalion711th Maintenance Battalion
| 8th Engineer Battalion127th Engineer Battalion
| 13th Signal Battalion511th Signal Battalion
| 15th Transportation Battalion611th Aircraft Maintenance & Supply Battalion
| 545th Military Police Company11th Military Police Company
| 191st Military Intelligence Detachment11th Military Intelligence Detachment
| 371st Army Security Agency CompanyCompany C, 313th Army Security Agency Battalion

{{Clear}}

Shortly thereafter, the division began deploying to Camp Radcliff, An Khe, Vietnam, in the Central Highlands and was equipped with the new M16 rifle, the UH-1 troop carrier helicopter, UH-1C gunships, the CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter, and the massive CH-54 Skycrane cargo helicopter.{{cite web |title=1st Cavalry Division arrives in South Vietnam |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/1st-cavalry-division-arrives-in-country |website=HISTORY |access-date=13 February 2022 |language=en}} All aircraft carried insignia to indicate their battalion and company.[http://vietnam-hueys.tripod.com/1st%20Air%20Cav%20markings%20page.htm vietnam-hueys.tripod.com]

File:Bruce_Crandall%27s_UH-1D.jpg|Major Bruce P. Crandall's UH-1D helicopter climbs after discharging infantrymen on a search and destroy mission in Ia Drang Valley in November 1965. .

File:Infantry 1-9 US Cavalry exiting UH-1D.jpg|1st Air Cavalry troopers exit a Huey chopper in Vietnam.

File:AH-1G Cobra Vietnam.jpg|Bell AH-1G over Vietnam.

File:Ch47-chinook-vietnam.jpg|Troops unload from a CH-47 helicopter in the Cay Giep Mountains, Vietnam, 1967.

File:Start of Tet Offensive.png|31 January 1968. Start of Tet Offensive as seen from LZ Betty's water tower, Quang Tri.

File:1st Cav at LZ Stud.jpg|4 April 1968. 1st Cav forces at LZ Stud, the staging area for Operation Pegasus.

File:Second crashed helicopter.jpg|26 April 1968. Operation Delaware, second crashed helicopter on Signal Hill, A Shau Valley.

File:Two 1st Cav LRP teams.jpg|July 1968. Two 1st Cavalry Division LRP teams, Quang Tri.

File:1st Cavalry Division Tunnelrat Vietnam.jpg| Unknown Date. Tunnel rat preparing for entering Vietnamese Tunnel, Vietnam.

File:USS Boxer LPH-4 loaded with helicopters of the 1st Cavalry Division, 1965.jpg|1965. Photo of USS Boxer (CV-21/LPH-4) loaded with helicopters of the 1st Cavalry Division.

The division's first major operation was to help relieve the Siege of Plei Me near Pleiku and the pursuit of the withdrawing People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) which culminated in the Battle of Ia Drang, described in the book We Were Soldiers Once...And Young, was also the basis of the film We Were Soldiers. Because of that battle the division earned the Presidential Unit Citation (US), the first unit to receive such in the war. In 1966, the division attempted to root the communist Viet Cong (VC) and PAVN out of Bình Định Province with Operation Masher, Operation Crazy Horse and Operation Thayer. 1967 was then spent conducting Operation Pershing, a large scale search and destroy operation of PAVN/VC base areas in II Corps in which 5,400 PAVN/VC soldiers were killed and 2,000 captured. In Operation Jeb Stuart, January 1968, the division moved north to Camp Evans, north of Hue and on to Landing Zones Sharon and Betty, south of Quang Tri City, all in the I Corps Tactical Zone.{{cite book|last=Ankony|first=Robert C.|title=Lurps: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tJP6uAuecOMC|year=2008|publisher=Hamilton Books|isbn=978-0-7618-4373-3}}

File:Prelude to Tet Offensive.jpg

In the early morning hours of 31 January 1968, the largest battle of the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive, was launched by 84,000 PAVN/VC soldiers across South Vietnam. In the division's area of operation, the PAVN/VC forces seized most of the city of Huế. As the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, fought to cut off PAVN/VC reinforcements pouring into Huế, at Quảng Trị, five battalions, most from the 324th Division, attacked the city and LZ Betty (Headquarters 1st Brigade). To stop allied troops from intervening, three other PAVN/VC infantry battalions deployed as blocking forces, all supported by a 122mm-rocket battalion and two heavy-weapons companies armed with 82mm mortars and 75mm recoilless rifles. After intense fighting, 900 PAVN/VC soldiers were killed in and around Quảng Trị and LZ Betty. However, across South Vietnam, 1,000 Americans, 2,100 South Vietnamese, 14,000 civilians, and 32,000 PAVN/VC were killed.

In March 1968 the division shifted forces to LZ Stud, the staging area for Operation Pegasus to break the siege of the Marine's Khe Sanh Combat Base—the second largest battle of the war. All three brigades participated in this airmobile operation, along with a Marine armor thrust. US Air Force B-52s alone dropped more than 75,000 tons of bombs on PAVN soldiers from the 304th and 325th Divisions encroaching the combat base in trenches. As these two elite enemy divisions, with history at Dien Bien Phu and the Ia Drang Valley, depleted, the division leapfrogged west, clearing Route 9, until at 0:800 hours 8 April, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, linked-up with Marines at the combat base, ending the 77-day siege.Tolson, John, Lt. Gen., Vietnam Studies: Airmobility 1961–1971, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., 1973.

File:LRPs directing artillery.jpg

On 19 April 1968, as the 2nd Brigade continued pushing west to the Laotian border, the 1st and 3rd Brigades (about 11,000 men and 300 helicopters) swung southwest and air assaulted A Shau Valley, commencing Operation Delaware. The PAVN was a well-trained, equipped, and led force. They turned A Shau into a formidable sanctuary —complete with PT-76 tanks; powerful crew-served 37mm antiaircraft cannons, some radar controlled; twin-barreled 23mm cannons; and scores of 12.7mm heavy machine guns. A long-range penetration operation was launched by members of the Division's long-range reconnaissance patrol (LRP) against the PAVN when they seized "Signal Hill"—the name attributed to the peak of Dong Re Lao Mountain, a densely forested {{convert|4879|ft|m}} mountain midway in the valley—so the 1st and 3rd Brigades, slugging it out hidden deep behind the mountains, could communicate with Camp Evans near the coast or with approaching aircraft.{{cite news | title=No Peace in the Valley | work=Vietnam Magazine | date=October 2008 | author=Ankony, Robert C. | pages=26–31}}Stanton, Shelby, Anatomy of a Division: The 1st Cav in Vietnam, Presidio Press, Novato, CA, 1987:146.

Despite hundreds of B-52 and jet air strikes, the PAVN forces shot down a C-130, a CH-54, two CH-47s and nearly two dozen UH-1s. Many more were lost in accidents or damaged by ground fire. The division also suffered more than 100 dead and 530 wounded in the operation. Bad weather aggravated the loss by causing delays in troop movements, allowing a substantial number of PAVN to escape to safety in Laos. Still, the PAVN lost more than 800 dead, a tank, 70 trucks, two bulldozers, 30 flamethrowers, thousands of rifles and machine guns, and dozens of antiaircraft cannons. They also lost tons of ammunition, explosives, medical supplies and foodstuffs.

In mid-May 1968 Operation Delaware ended, however, the division continued tactical operations in I Corps as well as local pacification and "medcap" (medical outreach programs to local Vietnamese). In the autumn of 1968, the division relocated south to Phước Vĩnh Base Camp northeast of Saigon. In May 1970, the division participated in the Cambodian Incursion, withdrawing from Cambodia on 29 June. Thereafter, the division took a defensive posture while US troops withdrawals continued from Vietnam. On 29 April 1971 the bulk of the division was withdrawn to Fort Hood, Texas, but its 3rd Brigade remained as one of the final two major US ground combat units in Vietnam, departing 29 June 1972. However, its 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, Task Force Garry Owen, remained another two months.Stanton, Shelby, Anatomy of a Division: The 1st Cav in Vietnam, Presidio Press, Novato, CA, 1987.

In the Vietnam War, the division suffered more casualties than any other U.S. Army division: 5,444 men killed in action and 26,592 wounded in action.Lt. Gen. Tolson, John J. Vietnam Studies: Airmobility 1961 – 1971, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C. (1973).Stanton, Shelby, L., Anatomy of a Division: The 1st Cav in Vietnam, Presidio Press, CA (1987).

= Cold War =

{{See also|NORTHAG wartime structure in 1989#1st Cavalry Division}}

File:TRICAP 1971.JPG

When the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) departed Vietnam, its colors were retained by reflagging the existing 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood as the "new" 1st Cavalry Division, configured as an armored division. Concurrently, the colors of the 1st Armored Division were transferred to Germany where the 4th Armored Division was reflagged as the 1st Armored Division.

In the aftermath of Vietnam, the 1st Cavalry Division was converted from an airmobile light infantry role into a triple capabilities (TRICAP) division. The unit received an infusion of mechanized infantry and artillery, to make it capable of missions needing three types of troops; armored, airmobility and air cavalry.[https://thedaysforward.com/first-cavalry-division-1978/ Nick's FARRP #7 – First Cavalry Division – 1978], The Days Forward, dated 14 June 2020, last accessed 5 September 2021

File:Former US Army 1st Cavalry Division soldier wearing TRICAP black beret-1976.png

In the post-Vietnam era, morale in the US Army waned. In response, the Department of the Army released a morale–enhancing order in 1973 permitting local commanders to encourage morale-enhancing uniform distinctions. Consequently, many units embraced the wear of various military berets.[https://web.archive.org/web/20180704012922/http://www.armyreal.com/resources/item/1927 History of the Army Beret, CSA SENDS - THE ARMY BLACK BERET], armyreal.com, last accessed 12 February 2020[https://www.thebalancecareers.com/u-s-military-beret-history-3331980 The Beret in U.S. Military Uniform History], The Balance Careers, by Rod Powers, updated 27 June 2019, last accessed 14 September 2019[https://web.archive.org/web/20010624053826/https://www.army.mil/features/beret/beret.htm#History A Short History of the Use of Berets in the U.S. Army], army.mil via WebArchive, dated 03 November 2000, last accessed 26 March 2019[http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/7676-us-army-berets-blue-black-green-maroon-tan/ US Army berets - blue, black, green, maroon, tan...], The US Militaria Forum, last accessed 10 September 2021 The 1st Cavalry Division's use of various colored berets started in 1971 with the TRICAP experiment: black for armor, light–blue for infantry, red for artillery, and kelly–green for support. The division eventually settled on the use of black berets for all 1st Cavalry soldiers and continued wearing them until the Army's moral enhancing order ended in 1979.

However, the TRICAP concept was short-lived, and by 1975, the division was reorganized under the Round-Out Division concept, with two active duty armored brigades and one National Guard armored brigade - the Mississippi Army National Guard's 155th Armored Brigade from 1984 to 1991.[https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2007/MR1211.pdf Evolution and Endurance, The U.S. Army Division in the Twentieth Century (Chapter Five, The Triple Capability Division: TRICAP)], RAND Corporation, by Richard W. Kabzior, published 2000, last accessed 26 March 2022

The division participated in numerous REFORGER exercises, and was used to test new doctrinal concepts and equipment, including the XM-1 tank. The unit assignment and structure changed significantly, notably when 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry was inactivated. The 13th Signal Battalion fielded mobile subscriber equipment (MSE), a secure digital communications system for corps and below units.

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== 1st Cavalry Division organization 1989 ==

File:1st US Cavalry Division 1989.png

  • 23px 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood (Texas){{cite book |title=1st Cavalry Division: A Spur Ride Through the 20th Century |date=2002 |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |location=Paducah, KY |isbn=1-56311-785-1 |pages=221–226 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IUEYSViH4_4C |accessdate=4 July 2020}} (Operation Reforger unit. POMCUS materiel depots in Belgium (Grobbendonk, Zutendaal) and the Netherlands (Brunssum, Eygelshoven) and ammunition depot in Zutendaal){{cite web |title=Die POMCUS-Depots in Nachbarschaft zu Niedersachsen |url=https://www.relikte.com/nl_pomcus/index.htm |publisher=Relikte in Niedersachsen & Bremen |accessdate=4 July 2020}}
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • 1st Cavalry Division Band
  • 1st Cavalry Horse Detachment
  • 1st Brigade
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry (Mechanized){{cite web |title=Army Regulation 600–82 - The U.S. Army Regimental System |page=10 |url=http://www.17thinfantry.org/documents/dmor/AR%20600-82%20US%20ARMY%20Regimental%20System.pdf |publisher=Headquarters Department of the Army Washington, DC |accessdate=2 July 2020}}
  • 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry
  • 3rd Battalion, 32nd Armor
  • 2nd Brigade
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
  • 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry (Mechanized)
  • 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry
  • 1st Battalion, 32nd Armor
  • 155th Armored Brigade, Tupelo{{cite journal |title=Mississippi Army National Guard Unit Identification |journal=Popular Communications |date=September 1990 |page=66 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Popular-Communications/90s/Popular-Communications-1990-09.pdf |accessdate=4 July 2020}} (Mississippi Army National Guard){{cite journal |title=Mississippians get pumped up in dust bowl; some disappointed they missed 'mother of all battles' |journal=On Guard - Desert Storm Special |date=December 1991 |pages=15 + 34 |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/Resources/Archives/The-On-Guard/FileId/63097/ |accessdate=4 July 2020}}
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry (Mechanized),{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=John B. |title=Maneuver and Firepower - The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades |journal=US Army Center of Military History - Army Lineage Series |date=1998 |page=401 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-14-1/cmhPub_60-14-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301211444/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-14-1/cmhPub_60-14-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 March 2014 |accessdate=5 July 2020}}{{cite journal |title=Statement of Col. Fletcher C. Coker Jr., Commander 155th Armored Brigade, Mississippi Army National Guard |journal=Hearings Before the Committee on Armed Services House of Representatives |location=Washington |date=1991 |page=192 |isbn=9780160371059 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iZmi0VrobZsC |accessdate=4 July 2020}} McAllen (Texas Army National Guard)
  • 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry (Mechanized), McComb
  • 1st Battalion, 198th Armor, Amory
  • 2nd Battalion, 198th Armor, Greenville
  • 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery, Starkville (24 × M109A3)
  • 106th Support Battalion (Forward), Monticello
  • Troop A, 98th Cavalry, Louisville (19 × M3 Bradley, 3 × M106A2)
  • 134th Engineer Company
  • Cavalry Brigade{{cite web |title=Headquarters and Headquarters Company Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Lineage |url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001cdavbde.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620030039/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001cdavbde.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 June 2008 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=14 July 2020}}
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop
  • 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry (Reconnaissance) (Troop B (Ground) inactive) (21 × M3 Bradley, 3 × M106A2, 8 × AH-1S Cobra, 12 × OH-58C Kiowa, 1 × UH-60A Black Hawk)
  • 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation (Attack) (18 × AH-64 Apache, 13 × OH-58D Kiowa, 3 × UH-60A Black Hawk){{cite journal |first=Lewis J. |last=McConnell |title=Fielding of the Apache |journal=Army Aviation Digest |date=November 1988 |page=43 |url=https://fdocuments.in/document/army-aviation-digest-nov-1988.html |accessdate=14 July 2020}}
  • Company D, 227th Aviation (Command Support) (12 × OH-58C, 6 × UH-1H, 3 × EH-60A)
  • Company E, 227th Aviation (Assault) (15 × UH-60A Black Hawk)
  • Division Artillery (DIVARTY){{cite web |last1=McKenney |first1=Janice E. |title=Field Artillery - Army Lineage Series - Part 1 |page=28 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt1/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920173939/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt1/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 September 2015 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=27 June 2020}}{{cite journal |title=The Red Book - An Annual Report |journal=Field Artillery |date=December 1989 |volume=US Army Field Artillery School, Fort Sill |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6UrAAAAYAAJ&q=2d+armored |accessdate=4 July 2020}}{{cite journal |title=The Red Book - An Annual Report |journal=Field Artillery |date=December 1987 |volume=US Army Field Artillery School, Fort Sill |page=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3qQrAAAAYAAJ&q=2d+armored |accessdate=4 July 2020}}
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
  • 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery{{cite web |last1=McKenney |first1=Janice E. |title=Field Artillery - Army Lineage Series - Part 2 |page=952 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt2/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227105809/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt2/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2012 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=27 June 2020}}{{cite journal |title=The Red Book - An Annual Report |journal=Field Artillery |date=December 1990 |volume=US Army Field Artillery School, Fort Sill |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6UrAAAAYAAJ&q=2d+armored |accessdate=4 July 2020}} (24 × M109A3)
  • 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery{{cite web |last1=McKenney |first1=Janice E. |title=Field Artillery - Army Lineage Series - Part 2 |page=956 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt2/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227105809/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt2/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2012 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=27 June 2020}} (24 × M109A3)
  • Battery A, 21st Field Artillery{{cite web |last1=McKenney |first1=Janice E. |title=Field Artillery - Army Lineage Series - Part 1 |pages=597–598 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt1/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920173939/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt1/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 September 2015 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=27 June 2020}} (9 × M270 MLRS)
  • Battery A, 333rd Field Artillery (Target Acquisition){{cite web |last1=McKenney |first1=Janice E. |title=Field Artillery - Army Lineage Series - Part 2 |page=1349 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt2/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227105809/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt2/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2012 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=27 June 2020}}
  • Division Support Command (DISCOM)
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • 15th Support Battalion (Forward)
  • 27th Support Battalion (Main)
  • 115th Support Battalion (Forward)
  • Company F, 227th Aviation (Aviation Intermediate Maintenance)
  • 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery (assigned 16 November 1988){{cite web |title=4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery |url=https://1cda.org/history/history-4-5ada/ |publisher=1st Cavalry Division Association |accessdate=4 July 2020}}
  • 8th Engineer Battalion{{cite web |title=8th Engineer Battalion |url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/eng/0008enbn.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620012356/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/eng/0008enbn.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 June 2008 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=4 July 2020}}
  • 13th Signal Battalion{{cite book |first=Rebecca |last=Robbins Raines |title=Signal Corps |date=2005 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |location=Washington DC |pages=96–97 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-15-1/CMH_Pub_60-15-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513042709/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-15-1/CMH_Pub_60-15-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 May 2013 |accessdate=4 July 2020}}
  • 312th Military Intelligence Battalion (Combat Electronic Warfare & Intelligence){{cite book |first2=John Patrick |last2=Finnegan |first1=Romana |last1=Danysh |title=Military Intelligence |date=1998 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |location=Washington DC |pages=361–362 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-13-1/cmhPub_60-13-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920204521/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-13-1/cmhPub_60-13-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 September 2015 |accessdate=4 July 2020}}
  • 545th Military Police Company{{cite web |title=545th Military Police Company |url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/mp/0545mpco.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620012557/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/mp/0545mpco.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 June 2008 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=4 July 2020}}
  • 68th Chemical Company{{cite web |title=68th Chemical Company |url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/chem/068cmco.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620214307/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/chem/068cmco.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 June 2008 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History |accessdate=4 July 2020}}

By October 1986 all heavy army and national guard divisions, including the 1st Cavalry Division, had transitioned to the Army of Excellence J-series TOE.{{cite journal |last1=Romjue |first1=John L. |title=The Army of Excellence - The Development of the 1980s Army |journal=TRADOC Historical Monograph Series |date=1993 |page=91 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/069/69-4-1/cmhPub_69-4-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921142305/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/069/69-4-1/cmhPub_69-4-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 September 2015 |accessdate=4 July 2020}} Thus the division's tank battalions fielded 58 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, 6 M3 Bradley cavalry fighting vehicles and 6 M106A2 mortar carriers.{{cite book |title=FM 101-10-1/1 - Staff Officers' Field Manual - Organizational, Technical, and Logistical Data |date=7 October 1987 |publisher=Headquarters, Department of the Army |location=Washington DC |pages=212–217}} The two tank battalions of the 155th Armored Brigade were also equipped with M1A1 Abrams tanks.{{cite journal |title=Three Guard units to get M1 tanks |journal=Armor |date=September–October 1984 |volume=XCIII| issue = 5 |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_5LAQAAMAAJ |accessdate=4 July 2020}} The division's and 155th brigade's mechanized battalions fielded 54 M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 12 M901 ITV anti-tank vehicles, 6 M3 Bradley cavalry fighting vehicles, 6 M106A2 mortar carriers.{{cite book |title=FM 101-10-1/1 - Staff Officers' Field Manual - Organizational, Technical, and Logistical Data |date=7 October 1987 |publisher=Headquarters, Department of the Army |location=Washington DC |pages=176–181}}{{cite journal |title=National guardsmen accept Bradleys |journal=The Fort Hood Sentinel |date=7 August 1986 |volume=45| issue = 11, Ed. 1 |pages=C2 |url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth309744/m1/22/?q=%22141st%22 |accessdate=8 July 2020}}{{cite journal |publisher=United States Congress – House Committee on Armed Services |title=Where Bradleys are now |journal=Defense Department Authorization and Oversight: Hearings on H.R. 4428 |date=1987 |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TTN_O6nIFzoC&dq=%222d+Armored+division%22++%222d+Battalion%2C+252d+Armor%22+-wiki&pg=PA33 |accessdate=8 July 2020}}

The authorized strength for an armored J-Series division was 17,027 men,{{cite book |title=FM 101-10-1/1 - Staff Officers' Field Manual - Organizational, Technical, and Logistical Data |date=7 October 1987 |publisher=Headquarters, Department of the Army |location=Washington DC |page=152}} 348 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, 316 cavalry/infantry fighting vehicles, 72 M109 155 mm self-propelled howitzers, 9 M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, 12 M110 203 mm self-propelled howitzers (transferred in 1986 to field artillery brigades at corps level),{{cite journal |title=Field Artillery and Army Aviation |journal=US Army Aviation Digest |date=February 1985 |volume=31 - Number 2 |page=4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GDzgLzcofwwC |accessdate=4 July 2020}} 50 to 44 attack helicopters (50 for an all AH-1S Cobra combat aviation brigade, 44 for an all AH-64 Apache combat aviation brigade), 38 to 28 utility helicopters (38 if the Assault Aviation Company was equipped with UH-1H helicopters, 28 if the Assault Aviation Company was equipped with UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters; in the first case 2 were assigned to the aviation intermediate maintenance company as reserve), and 54 OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopters (4 assigned to divisional Aviation Office).{{cite journal |title=Military construction appropriations for 1984 - Part 5 |journal=United States Congress - House Committee on Appropriations - Subcommittee on Military Construction Appropriations |year=1983 |pages=276–277 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2rk5d2wahpgC |accessdate=4 July 2020}} The divisional air defense artillery battalion was to be equipped with 18 MIM-72 Chaparral and 36 M247 Sergeant York (DIVAD) systems, but with the cancelation of the York air defense battalions retained a mix of MIM-72 Chaparral, M163 Vulcan and FIM-92 Stinger systems, until the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger could be fielded, with the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery receiving the first systems in 1989.

= Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm =

File:DesertStormMap v2.svg

The 1st Cavalry next fought as a heavy division, during Operation Desert StormAR 600-8-27, p. 26 paragraph 9–14 & p. 28 paragraph 2–14 in January and February 1991. It participated in the Battle of Norfolk. The 1st Cavalry Division deployed in October 1990 as part of XVIII Corps. The division's 'round-out' formation, the 155th Armored Brigade was not deployed. It was planned to augment the division by attaching the Tiger Brigade from the 2nd Armored Division, but that brigade was attached to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (1st & 2nd Marine Divisions) to add heavy armor support to that force. Consequently, the 1st Cavalry Division was assigned the role of CENTCOM's reserve. During the Ground war, was assigned to VII Corps and was crucial in the movement of ground forces to the Kuwaiti and west Saudi Arabian theaters by making two assaults into Iraqi held territory with the division's Black Jack Brigade moving north drawing Iraqi divisions out of Kuwait to support the Iraqi units defending in Iraq. This movement was led by the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, from the Wadi Al-Batin to just north of Basra through several Iraqi divisions before stopping. The assault by M1 Abrams main battle tanks, M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and other support vehicles moved much faster than was thought possible, catching the Iraqi Army off guard.

The 13th Signal Battalion was the first unit in the U.S. Army to deploy mobile subscriber equipment (MSE) into combat.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}} Installing, operating, and maintaining communications equipment to support a communications network spanning over 280 kilometers, the 13th Signal Battalion again provided the division's communications. The 13th Signal Battalion was the first unit in the U.S. Army to provide digital communications in West Asia. It was a gateway link from the Port of Dammam to the U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters.

After the division returned from Kuwait, the 1st "Tiger" Brigade, 2nd Armored Division was reflagged as the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (separate lineage).{{cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001cd3bct.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116080528/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/001cd3bct.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 January 2010|title = Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division | Lineage and Honors}} In response to the continued hostile movements by the Iraqi Armed Forces after Desert Storm, the U.S. Department of Defense ordered successive Operation Intrinsic Action deployments by combat brigades and special forces units to the Iraq/Kuwait border. The 1st Cavalry's three brigades contributed heavily to the decade-long deployments from 1992 to 2002.{{citation needed|date=December 2011}}

= Bosnia-Herzegovina =

The 1st Cavalry Division took control of the U.S. peacekeeping contingent in Bosnia-Herzegovina with approximately 6,900 personnel on 20 June 1998, as part of the multinational Stabilization Force (SFOR). The 1st Brigade served for Rotation SFOR 4. 2nd Brigade served for Rotation SFOR 5. The 2nd Brigade was alerted for action during the Russian move from Bosnia to the Pristina International Airport in June 1999, but no action was ultimately taken after consultation at the highest levels in NATO. In August 1999, the 10th Mountain Division took over operations in the Tuzla/Multinational Division North area.

= War on Terror =

Elements of the division arrived in Washington, D.C., shortly after the 11 September attacks.

== Iraq War ==

File:Stryker Battalion rolls into Baqubah DVIDS38283.jpg, 14 March 2007.]]

In October 2001 an advance party of a division brigade combat team was deployed to the Iraq/Kuwait border. Some divisional units participated in the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq.{{cite news | url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/odessa/odessa-american/2003/03-25/page-3 | title=Apaches are the attack helicopters of choice in Iraqi battle | work=Odessa American | date=24 March 2003 | agency=Associated Press}} The division in its entirety deployed to Iraq in January 2004, sending an initial detachment of the 9th Cavalry Regiment into combat in September 2003. The 1st Cavalry relieved the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad. Among its subordinate formations were: Louisiana's 256th Infantry Brigade; Arkansas' 39th Infantry Brigade; element of A Company, 28th Signal Battalion; elements of Washington's 81st Armored Brigade; and the 2d Battalion, 162nd Infantry (Oregon Army National Guard), and Company E (Air Traffic Control Services), 126th Aviation, MA ARNG. After spending more than a year in Iraq, it redeployed back to the US by April 2005. It was relieved by the 3rd Infantry Division. Division Artillery (DIVARTY) was organized as the 5th BCT. It contained HHB, DIVARTY; 1–7 CAV; 1–8 CAV; 1–21 FA; and the 515th FSB (Provisional). The division fought in many key battles against insurgents, including the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004, where the 2nd Brigade Combat Team engaged in house-to-house intense urban combat to root out enemy cells in the city. During its OIF2 deployment, the division assigned and attached personnel numbered approximately 40,000. 168 personnel were killed in action, with approximately 1,500 wounded.

The division assumed duties as Headquarters, Multi-National Division – Baghdad from November 2006 to December 2007. 4th Brigade Combat Team, activated in 2005, arrived in Ninawa Governorate in October and November 2006. However, 2–12 Cavalry was detached, deployed to Baghdad to augment the division efforts there.

The 3d Brigade Combat Team, "Greywolf", deployed to the Diyala Province in September 2006 and fought in the Battle of Baqubah as a part of the Iraq War troop surge of 2007.

The division assumed duties as the Headquarters, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Jan 2009– Jan 2010. The deployment was extended by 23 days past the one year mark.

The 4th Brigade Combat Team "Long Knife" deployed to Mosul, Nineva Province, October 2006 to January 2008 and again September 2010 to September 2011.

== Afghanistan (2001–2014) ==

In November 2001, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division (3d Platoon, 545th MP CO, originally assigned to 2d Brigade "BlackJack" 1st Cav) deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan.

In May 2011, the division headquarters deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and assumed command of Regional Command East, replacing the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The 1st Infantry Division HQ took command of RC-East on 19 April 2012.

In June 2014, the division headquarters returned to Afghanistan and assumed command of Regional Command South, replacing the 4th Infantry Division.

In October 2014, the division flag returned to Fort Hood, leaving its Deputy Commanding General behind as the new Train Advise Assist Command South.

Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan (OEF-A) ended in late 2014.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/12/29/meet-operation-freedoms-sentinel-the-pentagons-new-mission-in-afghanistan/|title=Meet Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the Pentagon's new mission in Afghanistan|newspaper=Washington Post|date=29 December 2014}}

== Operation Freedom's Sentinel (2015–2021) ==

After the completion of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan, the new US deployment to Afghanistan was known as Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

In June 2015, the division element in TAAC South was relieved by an element from the 7th Infantry Division Headquarters.

In September 2016, the 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters deployed again to Afghanistan, this time with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade alongside it.{{cite web|url=http://www.stripes.com/news/army-500-from-1st-cavalry-division-deploy-to-afghanistan-1.400621|title=Army: 500 from 1st Cavalry Division deploy to Afghanistan|date=22 March 2016|publisher=Stars and Stripes}}{{cite web|url=https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/afghanistan/at-95-1st-cav-set-to-ride-in-support-of-afghanistan-mission-1.428764|title = At 95, 1st Cav set to 'ride' in support of Afghanistan mission}} The headquarters served as the United States Forces – Afghanistan National Support Element, and was also responsible for Bagram Airfield, the largest US military base in Afghanistan. It supported forces serving in the United States' Operation Freedom's Sentinel and NATO's Resolute Support Mission, enabling both the international effort to train, advise, and assist the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and the counterterrorism fight. The 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade also supported both Operation Freedom's Sentinel and Resolute Support and was the Army's only deployed active duty Sustainment Brigade until US forces withdrew in 2021.

== Operation Inherent Resolve ==

The division's 3d BCT deployed in February 2017 to Kuwait, and elements of 3ABCT supported operations in Iraq to retake Mosul from ISIS.

== Global missions ==

File:Standing tall and looking good (15826655165).jpg, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division during the 2014 Latvia Day Parade in Riga, Latvia during Operation Atlantic Resolve.]]

The 1st Cavalry Division currently holds three of the active Army's ten armored brigade combat teams. The division provides the Army and Combatant Commanders with trained and ready forces.

In April 2014, 2–5 Cavalry from 1st BCT, 1CD deployed to Europe to support Operation Combined Resolve II, a NATO exercise in southeastern Germany.{{Cite news|url=https://www.army.mil/article/124452/Combined_Resolve_II_to_exercise_Army_s_European_Rotational_Force|title=Combined Resolve II to exercise Army's European Rotational Force|work=army.mil|access-date=21 April 2017|language=en}} In October 2014, 1CD returned to Europe to support its NATO partners in another pair of exercises, this time participating in Operations Combined Resolve III and Atlantic Resolve with the majority of 1ABCT.{{Cite news|url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/139349/1st-cavs-ironhorse-brigade-support-operation-atlantic-resolve-europe|title=1st Cav's Ironhorse Brigade to support Operation Atlantic Resolve in Europe|work=DVIDS|access-date=21 April 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.army.mil/article/140915|title=Cavalry Soldiers wrap up successful Atlantic Resolve rotation|work=army.mil|access-date=21 April 2017|language=en}}

A battalion task force from the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division deployed to Germany in November 2015; it participated in Atlantic Resolve, then stayed in Germany for the next nine months to provide aviation support to US and NATO forces across Europe.{{cite web|url=https://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2015/08/27/1st-cav-aviators-deploy-europe-fall/32471899/|title = 1st CAV aviators will deploy to Europe this fall|date = 7 August 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.army.mil/article/158365|title=Regionally Allocated Forces from 1st CAV arrive in Germany|work=army.mil|access-date=21 April 2017|language=en}}

In June 2015, the 2d BCT was the first rotational brigade deployed to South Korea,[http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/2014/12/27/army-deployments-2015/20861125/ Korea deployment] accessdate=2015-02-18 relieving the 1st BCT, 2nd Infantry Division as it inactivated. The 2d BCT deployed for nine months; in February 2016, the 2d BCT was replaced by the 1st BCT on another nine-month rotation.

Organization

File:1st US Cavalry Division - Organization 2023.png

File:1 CAV DIV charge.jpg

The 1st Cavalry Division consists of a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, three armored brigade combat teams, a division artillery, a combat aviation brigade, and a division sustainment brigade.

= Organization history =

The 4th Brigade Combat Team "Long Knife" inactivated in October 2013 the following units: the Special Troops Battalion, 4th BCT; the 5th Battalion, 82nd Artillery; and 27th Brigade Support Battalion, with some of the companies of the latter two used to augment artillery and support battalions in the remaining three BCTs. The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry joined the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry joined the 3rd Brigade Combat Team and the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry joined the 1st Brigade Combat Team. The 3rd Cavalry Regiment was subordinate to the division until March 2017.{{cite news |last=Geiger |first=Capt. Grace |date=5 April 2017 |title=3rd Cav Regt transitions to III Corps |url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/229385/3rd-cav-regt-transitions-iii-corps |publisher=3rd Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs Office |agency=DVIDS |location=Killeen, TX |access-date=8 April 2017 }}

Division insignia

= Shoulder sleeve insignia =

File:CAV patches 19 May 11 002.JPG/OG-107, BDU, DCU, UCP, OCP]]

The shoulder sleeve insignia was originally approved 3 January 1921, with several variations in colors of the bend and horse's head to reflect the subordinate elements of the division. The design was authorized for wear by all subordinate elements of the division on 11 December 1934, and previous authorization for the variations was canceled. The insignia is worn subdued on field uniforms after experience in the Vietnam War, where the gold was too conspicuous. Normally, the gold is changed to the base color of the uniform to subdue it.For more variations on the unit's shoulder sleeve insignia, see {{cite journal|url=http://www.asmic.org/tp/tp_a-j-09wm.pdf |title=Rag Clippings |journal=The Trading Post |date=April–June 2009 |pages=19–20 |publisher=American Society of Military Insignia Collectors |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502184648/http://www.asmic.org/tp/tp_a-j-09wm.pdf |archive-date=2 May 2014 }} With the retirement of the green "Class A" uniform in October 2015, only the subdued version of the SSI is worn, on the ACU's left sleeve.

It consists on a yellow, triangular Norman shield with rounded corners {{convert|5.25|in|mm}} in height overall, a black diagonal stripe extends over the shield from upper left to lower right, and in the upper right a black horse's head cuts off diagonally at the neck, all within a 0.125-in green border.

Yellow was chosen because it is the traditional cavalry color, and the horse's head refer to the division's original cavalry structure. Black, symbolic of iron, alludes to the transition to tanks and armor. The black diagonal stripe represents a sword baldric and is a mark of military honor; it also implies movement "up the field" and thus symbolizes aggressive elan and attack. The one diagonal bend and the one horse's head also allude to the division's numerical designation.

File:Peter Pace in Iraq - Dec of 2006.jpg of the 1st Cavalry Division speaking with Gen Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]]

= Distinctive unit insignia =

Description: A metal and enameled device, 1 inch in height overall, consisting of a gold-colored Norman shield with a black horse's head couped in sinister chief, and a black bend charged with two five-pointed stars. Properly: Or, on a bend sable two stars of five points Or, in chief sinister a sable couped horse head, a border vert

Symbolism: The device is a miniature reproduction of the 1st Cavalry Division's shoulder sleeve insignia with the addition of two five-pointed stars. The Division Commander and the Division Staff wore the distinctive insignia design from 1922 to 1934 as a shoulder sleeve insignia.

Background: The distinctive unit insignia was approved 25 August 1965.

The flag of the 1st Cavalry Division is a white field with the distinctive yellow triangular Norman shield with rounded corners, a black diagonal stripe extending over the shield from upper left to lower right and in the upper right a silhouetted horse's head cut off diagonally at the neck with a green border.[http://www.flagandbanner.com/Products/A1STCAVALRY35.asp Here is a link to a source showing the flag and description. ]

Awards and decorations

= Campaign credits =

class=wikitable
style="background:#efefef;"

! Conflict

! Streamer

! Year(s)

rowspan="4" | World War II
150px
New Guinea1943
| Bismarck Archipelago1943
| Leyte with Arrowhead1944
| Luzon1944
rowspan="7" | Korean War
150px
UN Defensive1950
| UN Offensive1950
| CCF Intervention1950–1951
| First UN Counteroffensive1951
| CCF Spring Offensive1951
| UN Summer–Fall Offensive1951
| Second Korean Winter1951–1952
rowspan="13" | Vietnam War
150px
Defense1965
| Counteroffensive1965–1966
| Counteroffensive, Phase II1966–1967
| Counteroffensive, Phase III1967–1968
| Tet Counteroffensive1968
| Counteroffensive, Phase IV1968
| Counteroffensive, Phase V1968
| Counteroffensive, Phase VI1968–1969
| Tet 69/Counteroffensive1969
| Summer–Fall 19691969
| Winter–Spring 19701969–1970
| Sanctuary Counteroffensive1970
| Counteroffensive, Phase VII1970–1971
rowspan="2" | Gulf War
150px
Defense of Saudi Arabia1991
| Liberation and Defense of Kuwait1991
rowspan="4" | Iraq
150px
Iraqi Governance2004
|National Resolution2005
| Iraqi Surge2007
|Iraqi Sovereignty2009
rowspan="4" | Afghanistan
150px
Consolidation III2011
| Transition I2011–2012
| Transition I2014
| Transition II2015

= Unit decorations =

Notable former members

See also

References

{{reflist}}

88. [http://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/12474] 545th Military Police Co. Lineage - "Professional Bulletin of the Military Police Corps", Headquarters, Department of the Army - Fall 2010 p.47

Further reading

  • {{Cite book| title = The Admiralties: Operations of the 1st Cavalry Division 29 February–18 May 1944|publisher=United States Army Center of Military History| url = http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/admiralties/admiralties-fm.htm| location = Washington, D.C. | year = 1990 |edition=reprint |orig-year=1946 | access-date=16 June 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100615173840/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/admiralties/admiralties-fm.htm| archive-date= 15 June 2010| url-status= dead}} – full text
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235022/http://www.cgsc.edu/CARL/nafziger/941UXCA.PDF American Cavalry Divisions 1941–1945] order of battle information posted at the Combined Arms Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070527221539/http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/content.asp#brigade The Brigade: A History, Its Organization and Employment in the US Army] by John J. McGrath, Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 2004
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20170216230845/http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OrderOfBattle/OrderofBattle2.pdf U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919–1941, Volume 2. The Arms: Cavalry, Field Artillery, and Coast Artillery, 1919–41] by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Steven E. Clay, Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 2011
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304203655/http://www.cgsc.edu/CARL/nafziger/939PIAB.pdf U.S. Army Combat Units 1 September 1939] order of battle information posted at the Combined Arms Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Media

  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.20234|name=AIRMOBILE DIVISION, THE (1966)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.34265|name=A-1-5 1st Air Cavalry, Binh Tuy Province (1971)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.2569862|name=Big Picture: The New First Team}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26969|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-2A (1966)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26958|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-1OA (1966)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26961|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-12A (1966)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26971|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-20A (1966)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26972|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-21A (1966)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26973|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-22A (1966)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26981|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-29A (1966)}}
  • {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26983|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-30A (1966)}}

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