1st Cavalry Div Red White Vietnam War T-Shirts

The division's first major operation was to help relieve the Siege of Plei Me near Pleiku and the pursuit of the withdrawing North Vietnamese Army 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 and the North Vietnamese army (PAVN) out of Binh Dinh 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 communist base areas in II Corps in whi

1st Cavalry Div Airmobile w Air Assault Badge during the Vietnam War, American soldiers were to war on helicopters - airmobile - riding their metal horses into battle

1st Cavalry Div Airborne w Basic Airborne Badge, 8th Cavalry Regiment.

Specialist 4th Class Jim Brannen who served in Vietnam during 1969 and 1970 in the Military Assistant Command Vietnam (MACV) and later the 4th Infantry Division agrees: Not a lot of people actually know that the whole decks were aces. I knew. I saw many of them in the Pleiku area since the 1st Air Cavalry was at An Khe. The 4th Infantry took over An Khe in March 1970. There were plenty of those ace of spades decks around. I wish I had kept some. I did see a few of the cards used. It is hard to talk about it now but during the war things were different. Some soldiers would place the cards on the eyes of a dead Viet Cong. It meant that the card was the last thing they saw. The Viet Cong really feared the Air Cavalry.

Specialist 4th Class Jim Brannen who served in Vietnam during 1969 and 1970 in the Military Assistant Command Vietnam (MACV) and later the 4th Infantry Division agrees: Not a lot of people actually know that the whole decks were aces. I knew. I saw many of them in the Pleiku area since the 1st Air Cavalry was at An Khe. The 4th Infantry took over An Khe in March 1970. There were plenty of those ace of spades decks around. I wish I had kept some. I did see a few of the cards used. It is hard to talk about it now but during the war things were different. Some soldiers would place the cards on the eyes of a dead Viet Cong. It meant that the card was the last thing they saw. The Viet Cong really feared the Air Cavalry.

1st Cavalry Div Air Assault w Air Assault Badge during the Vietnam War, American soldiers were to war on helicopters - Air Assault - riding their metal horses into battle

1st Cavalry Div Airmobile w Basic Airborne Badge

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 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, 20 October 1944, captured Tacloban and the adjacent airstrip, advanced along the north coast, and secured Leyte Valley, elements landing on and securing Samar Island. Moving down Ormoc V

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.[21] 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; elements of Washington's 81st Armored Brigade; and the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry (Oregon Army National Guard), Co.E/126th ATCS, MAARNG. After spending more than a year in Iraq, it redeployed back to the US

In the summer of 1950, North Korea attacked South Korea, and the 1st Cavalry Division was rushed to Korea to help shore up the Pusan Perimeter. After the X Corps attack at Incheon, a breakout operation was launched at the Pusan Perimeter. The 1st Cavalry Division remained in the line until it was relieved by the 45th Infantry Division from the United States 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.

The 1st Cavalry Division ("First Team") is a combined arms division and is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army. It is based at Fort Hood, Texas. It was formed in 1921 and served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cat Gulf War, with the Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Iraq War, in the War in Afghanistan and in Operation Freedom's Sentinel. As of October 2017, the 1st Cavalry Division is subordinate to III Corps. The unit is unique in that it has served as a Cavalry (horse) Division, an Infantry Division, an Air Assault Division and an Armored Division throughout its existence.

On 29 July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the 1st Air Cavalry Division to Vietnam 1st Brigade (Airborne), 1st Cavalry Division 1st BN-8th Cavalry (Airborne) 2nd BN-8th Cavalry (Airborne) 1st BN-12th Cavalry (Airborne) 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 19th Artillery (105mm) Aerial Equipment Supply Company (Airborne)

On 29 July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the 1st Air Cavalry Division to Vietnam 1st Brigade (Airborne), 1st Cavalry Division 1st BN-8th Cavalry (Airborne) 2nd BN-8th Cavalry (Airborne) 1st BN-12th Cavalry (Airborne) 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 19th Artillery (105mm) Aerial Equipment Supply Company (Airborne)

The 1st Cavalry next fought as a heavy division, during Operation Desert Storm in January and February 1991. It participated in the Battle of Norfolk. The 1st Cavalry Division deployed in October 1990 as part of VII Corps. The division's 'round-out' formation, the 155th Armored Brigade was not deployed in a surprise political decision.[citation needed] 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 the VII Corps' reserve for much of the ground war, but was crucial in the movement of groun

In November of 2001, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division (3rd Platoon-545 MP CO, originally assigned to 2nd 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. 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 ivision. In October 2014, the division flag returned to Fort Hood, leaving its Deputy Commanding General behind as the new Train Adv

On 29 July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the 1st Air Cavalry Division to Vietnam 1st Brigade (Airborne), 1st Cavalry Division 1st BN-8th Cavalry (Airborne) 2nd BN-8th Cavalry (Airborne) 1st BN-12th Cavalry (Airborne) 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 19th Artillery (105mm) Aerial Equipment Supply Company (Airborne)

On 29 July 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the 1st Air Cavalry Division to Vietnam 1st Brigade (Airborne), 1st Cavalry Division 1st BN-8th Cavalry (Airborne) 2nd BN-8th Cavalry (Airborne) 1st BN-12th Cavalry (Airborne) 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 19th Artillery (105mm) Aerial Equipment Supply Company (Airborne)

The 1st Cavalry next fought as a heavy division, during Operation Desert Storm in January and February 1991. It participated in the Battle of Norfolk. The 1st Cavalry Division deployed in October 1990 as part of VII Corps. The division's 'round-out' formation, the 155th Armored Brigade was not deployed in a surprise political decision.[citation needed] 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 the VII Corps' reserve for much of the ground war, but was crucial in the movement of groun

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). 1st Brigade served for Rotation SFOR 4. 2nd Brigade served for Rotation SFOR 5. 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.

In the aftermath of Vietnam, the 1st Cavalry Division was converted from the air-mobile 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, air-mobility, and air cavalry. In the post-Vietnam era, morale in the US Army waned. In response, from 1973 through 1979 HQDA permitted local commanders to encourage morale-enhancing uniform distinctions. Consequently, many units embraced various colored berets, for example armor and armored cavalry units often adopted the black beret.