| 9th Cavalry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 9th Cavalry Regiment coat of arms |
|
| Active | July 28, 1866 - October 20, 1950 December 1, 1957 - |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | U.S. Army |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Nickname | Buffalo Soldiers |
| Motto | WE CAN, WE WILL |
| Engagements | Indian Wars War with Spain Mexican Expedition World War II {not as unit} Vietnam Iraq War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel Edward Hatch Adna Chaffee Gen. Phillip Sheridan |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive Unit Insignia |  |
| U.S. Cavalry Regiments | |
|---|---|
| Previous | Next |
| 8th Cavalry Regiment | 10th Cavalry Regiment |
The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army.
Contents |
Formation
The regiment was constituted 28 July 1866 in the Regular Army as Company F, 9th Cavalry. On 3 August 1866, Major General Philip H. Sheridan, commanding the Military Division of the Gulf, was "authorized to raise, among others, one regiment of colored (African-American) cavalry to be designated the 9th Regiment of U. S. Cavalry".[1]
The regiment was organized on 21 September 1866 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was initially commanded by Colonel Edward Hatch. The men enlisted for five years and received $13 per month, plus room, board and clothing. Later they were dubbed "Buffalo Soldiers". The regiment's motto was, and remains, "We Can, We Will".
The mustering, organized by Maj. Francis Moore, 65th U. S. Colored Infantry, formed the nucleus of the enlisted strength, and was obtained from New Orleans and its vicinity. In the autumn of 1866 recruiting was also established in Kentucky, and all the men of the 9th were obtained from that state and Louisiana. The horses were obtained at St. Louis, Missouri. About the middle of September all recruits were assembled in New Orleans, where empty cotton presses were used as barracks. An epidemic of cholera caused the camp to be moved to Carrollton, a suburb of New Orleans. By the end of March 1867, the 9th Cavalry was at nearly full strength with a total of 885 enlisted men, or an average of over 70 to a troop, and was ordered to San Antonio, Texas, where it arrived early in April for further training. However, Troops L and M went directly to their duty station at Brownsville, Texas.
Regiment's service
Indian wars
Early in June 1867 the 9th Cavalry was ordered into western and southwestern Texas, to maintain law and order between the Rio Grande and Concho Rivers from Fort Clark to El Paso. Regimental Headquarters and Troops A, B, E and K, under Col. Hatch, were stationed at Fort Stockton; Troops C, D, F, G, H and I, under Lt. Col. Wesley Merritt were at Fort Davis. Troops L and M had previously been sent to Brownsville. The 9th remained in Texas for eight years, nearly all of it in the field.
The regiment went to New Mexico Military District, which covered parts of New Mexico, Colorado and Texas, and participated in the Apache Wars from 1875 to 1881. That service included the Battle of Tularosa with Chiricahua Apache warriors led by Victorio in May 1880.
The 9th Cavalry was transferred to Fort Riley, Kansas, in 1881.
Spanish-American War and later
During the Spanish-American War in 1898, the regiment served in the Battle of Las Guasimas and the Battle of San Juan Hill alongside Roosevelt's Rough Riders.
In 1899 and again in 1904 the 9th cavalry patrolled Yosemite National Park joining other cavalry and infantry as the first "Rangers" of the park system. Under General John J. Pershing, the regiment fought in the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico in 1916.
The regiment spent World War I in the Philippines. On 1 March 1933 the 9th Cavalry was assigned to the 3d Cavalry Division.
West Point
On March 23, 1907, the United States Military Academy Detachment of Cavalry was changed to a "colored" unit. This had been a long time coming. It had been proposed in 1897 at the "Cavalry and Light Artillery School" at Fort Riley, Kansas that West Point Cadets learn their riding skills from the black non-commissioned officers who were considered the best. The one hundred man deatchment from the 9th Cavalry served to teach future officers at West Point riding instruction, mounted drill and tactics until 1947.[2]
Second World War
The 9th Cavalry was relieved 10 October 1940 from its assignment to the 3d Cavalry Division and transferred to the 2nd Cavalry Division for deployment in the Second World War. However, the regiment did not serve in that war as a unit. It was transferred to the Mediterranean to supply soldiers for other units. It was therefore inactivated 7 March 1944 in North Africa.
More recent service
The regiment was disbanded 20 October 1950 but was reconstituted 1 December 1957 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 6th Reconnaissance Squadron, 9th Cavalry.
It was redesignated 30 June 1971 as Troop F, 9th Cavalry, and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, and activated in Vietnam. The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment was the air cavalry reconnaissance squadron of the 1st Cavalry Division throughout the division's service in Vietnam.
Again it was inactivated 26 February 1973 in Vietnam and relieved from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division.
The 2d Squadron, 9th Cavalry assigned to the 7th Infantry(L) deployed to Panama in order to conduct operations during OPERATION JUST CAUSE and the humanitarian and nation building mission OPERATION PROMOTE LIBERTY. The Air Troops were the first to deploy with their AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and their Aerial Scout, OH-58s. A. Troop 2-9 Cavalry soon followed and conducted route clearance, zone reconnaissance, and provided support to U.S. Army units in the interior.
On 20 April 1999 it was assigned to the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division.
Desert Peacekeepers and Beyond
The 1st battalion 9th cavalry regiment (1/9cav) was reconstituted as an infantry regiment in 1992 and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's 3rd Brigade. It was highly trained and well respected for it's combat abilities. The unit was called upon several times to thwart aggressive and hostile maneuvers by the Iraqi army on several occasions and was designated as the MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) unit of the division.
Following is a brief rendition of significant events during this time period.
1993: 1. 3 soldiers killed on Lone Star North Range. 2. NTC deployment. 3. Intrinsic Action deployment to S.W. Asia.
1994: 1. Claymore mine accident severely injures a 1st Lt. 2. Cambrian Patrol (Special Operations competitive patrol in England) set range live fire record. 3. 2 soldiers killed from Echo company.
1995: 1. 2 soldiers killed from HHC company. 2. Soldier injured by grenade blast at tire house.
1996: 1. Intrinsic Action II to SW Asia.
21st century
Today, the squadrons of the 9th Cavalry Regiment provide RSTA (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition) capabilities forward of enemy lines and supply sniper teams for use in the area of combat operations. These recon units provide valuable real-time intelligence about the enemy while allowing the flexibility of direct engagement and subsequent destruction of enemy personnel and equipment.
Bravo Troop (Bloody Knife) 9th Cavalry, 4th Infantry Division, in April, 2003 was deployed from Ft. Carson CO to Iraq, After arriving at Camp Wolfe, Kuwait they then moved to Camp New Jersey in Northern Kuwait. The lead elements of the BRT then crossed into Iraq covering a distance of over 300 km. This combat operation was the first operation for the 4th Infantry Division since Vietnam. The Brigade Reconnaissance Troop has operated in more Iraqi cities than any other unit in the 4th Infantry Division including: Samarra East Airfield, Samarra, Ad Dawr, Tikrit East, Tuz Khurmat, Jalula, MEK, Daquq, Kirkuk, Taza Khormatu, Al Huwayjah, Ad Duluyah, At Tarmyia, Ad Dujayl, and Balad South. On 23 October 2003, Bravo Troop 9th Cav. was issued the combat patch for conducting combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment (1-9 Cav), is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, as an Armored Reconnaissance Squadron (ARS), of the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. Originally part of the 3rd Brigade at Fort Hood, the "1st of the 9th" moved to Fort Bliss to fill the RSTA (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition) needs of the newly created 4th BCT in October 2005.[3] The unit is nicknamed the "Headhunters"; it was estimated to have been responsible for 50% of the enemy kills of the entire 1st Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War [1] For their reputation, the unit was featured as the command of Col. Kilgore in the movie Apocalypse Now.
The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment (1-9 Cav), began deployment to Iraq in September 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Headquarters company (HHC) and the Charlie company of 1-9 Cav were assigned a National Guard infantry unit, a combat engineer unit, a support unit and a civil support unit to comprise Task Force 1-9 (TF1-9). The other two infantry companies of 1-9 Cav, Alpha and Bravo companies, were assigned to other task forces in Iraq, notably Task Force All American (TF-AA). [2]
During their 1st deployment, 124 Purple Heart medals were awarded to Task Force 1-9 soldiers, who operated in one of the most dangerous sections of the Iraqi capital, including Sadr City. In October 2006, the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, began their redeployment to Iraq out of Fort Bliss, Texas, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, along with the rest of 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, to work alongside the 25th Infantry Division to comprise Task Force Lightning.
In March 2008, the 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry of the 4th Infantry Division was reflagged to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry as part of the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. In June 2008, 1-9 CAV deployed to OIF 08-10 to CSC SCANIA and assumed responsibilities for MSR TAMPA and the cities of Hamza, Qasim, Hashimiyah, Ash Shumali and other smaller towns from 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry of the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. In August 2008, 1-9 CAV was given orders to build a Fob along the Iranian Border in order to interdict lethal accelerants from being smuggled. The Forward operating base is known as FOB Hunter and is in the Maysan province which resides in the marsh lands of Iraq. Iraq is not a lot of Marshlands!
The Second Squadron (2-9 Cav) was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, and was the Armored Reconnaissance Squadron for 3d Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. The Squadron, nicknamed "Hunters," deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom IV, serving in two provinces: first in Salah ad-Din near ad-Dawr, as an attachment to the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, and then in Diyala with the rest of the 3/4 Brigade, after handing over the base in ad-Dawr to the Iraqi Army. The Second Squadron was deactivated on October 18, 2007, and re-designated as the 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment (4-10 Cav).
The Fourth Squadron (4-9 Cav) is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and is the Armored Reconnaissance Squadron for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, serving in Baghdad, Iraq.
The 6th Squadron is assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. The unit is nicknamed the "Saber Squadron." Coincidentally, they replaced the 2nd Squadron in Diyala when they deployed in October 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. The last of their soldiers returned on 18 December 2007 from OIF 06-08. They are currently deployed to Iraq for the unit's second deployment as of 13 December 2008.
It was the distinct honor of the 9th Cavalry Regiment (C Trp 6-9 Cav), US Army, to have been represented by a wounded Cavalry reconnaissance soldier(Staff Sergeant Craig Charloux) at the 2008 State of the Union Address delivered by President Bush. [3]
gallery
 General Adna Chaffee |
 General Robert M. Shoemaker |
 Sgt. Henry Johnson (Indian Wars soldier) (Medal of Honor recipient) |
|
.jpg) Sgt George Jordan (Medal of Honor recipient) |
 Thomas Shaw in 1889 as a Sergeant in K Troop, 9th Cavalry |
 Sgt. Augustus Walley (Medal of Honor recipient) |
Distinguished Members
The 9th Cavalry Regiment boasts many distinguished members including
General (Retired) Robert M. Shoemaker, Lieutenant General (Retired) Paul Funk, Sergeant Major of the Army (Retired) William Connelly, Dr. Hal Kushner M.D.[4], Lt. Col. John B. Stockton, Colonel Thomas Macdonald [5]
External links
- The Ninth Regiment of Cavalry, History of 9th US Cavalry 1861-1895
- 9th Memorial Cavalry
- Buffalo Soldiers Ninth & Tenth (Horse) Cavalry Association
- [6] 4th Brigade 1st Cavalry
References
- ^ At the same time, Lt.Gen. William T. Sherman, commanding the Military Division of the Mississippi, was directed to form one regiment of colored regulars to be designated the 10th Regiment U.S. Cavalry.
- ^ Buckley, Gail Lumet (2001), American Patriots: The Story of Blacks in the Military from the Revolution to Desert Storm (Hardcover), Random House; 1st edition (May 22, 2001)
- ^ Global Security article on 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry
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