The 1st Cavalry Division, in the Army’s table of organization, is an armored division, the Army’s heaviest. Fully modernized, the First Team can deploy quickly to crisis areas worldwide with America’s finest soldiers and the world’s most deadly, state-of-the-art land combat weapons systems. Today it is Cavalry in spirit only, but that spirit runs deep. From dusty troopers on horseback charging through the desert Southwest to high-speed helicopter and armor assaults into jungles, mountains, and deserts of Southeast and Southwest Asia; from fragile covered wagons to fast heavily armored tanks and attack helicopters able to fight on a nuclear battlefield-the lore, the pride and the fighting spirit of the 1st Cavalry Division spans many decades.

Created in 1921 by a merger of cavalry regiments and supporting elements under the National Defense Act, the 1st Cavalry Division has worked hard to uphold its proud heritage. In its cavalry regiments, the new division inherited a rich tradition. Under their guidons, American cavalry had fought in the Civil War and against Arapaho, Apache, Cheyenne, and Sioux as the American West was settled. Gladys Fitch “Mother” Dorsey, wife of the commander of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, designed the new division’s patch to reflect the cavalry heritage. On a Norman shield, in gold, the color of cavalry, is a diagonal stripe symbolizing a medieval scaling ladder and the “baldric” from which the sword was hung. A horses head, symbolizing the heart of cavalry, completed the design. It is the largest of Army division patches-a big patch worn by big soldiers who do big things.

The division’s early history was largely spent in west Texas where its soldiers patrolled against bandits, guarded railroads, and constantly trained. During the great depression the division provided training and leadership for members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. After final training in Australia, the division entered World War II by storming the beaches of the Admiralty Islands. From there it went ashore at Leyte and earned its proud nickname, the First Team, after its famed “Flying Column” led by Major General William C. Chase, liberated Manila, the capital of the Philippines following a heroic dash through 100 miles of enemy territory. Since Manila, the Division has been the first American combat force to reach such places as Tokyo, the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, and the communist arms sanctuaries in the jungles of Cambodia and the first to fire the Multiple Launch Rocket Launcher System at an enemy force in combat. More recently, the tradition was continued when General Norman Schwarzkopf directed his staff to “Send in the First Team! Destroy the Republican Guard”.

The First Team’s war record is rich with tales of individual and unit heroics. In time of peace now at its Fort Hood home, the Division is again garnering fame for its dedication to training and maintaining combat readiness and deployability while taking care of its troopers and their families. With three maneuver brigades, an Aviation and an Engineer brigade, DIVARTY, DISCOM, and Division Troops, it is the largest of the Army’s heavy divisions. And as time, innovation and hard experience alter the face of warfare, the First Team remains in the forefront of development or new strategies and equipment to meet the changing needs of United States military power while continuing to maintain strong ties with its alumni and benefiting greatly from the interrelation of the old troopers and their duty counterparts.

With appreciation to the 1st Cavalry Division Association.