1-1 Cavalry "Blackhawks"
The Army's First Cavalry Unit, the "1st Squadron, 1st United States Cavalry, 1st Regiment of Dragoons, is better known as the "BLACKHAWK". The Squadron is a Divisional Cavalry Unit and is made up of three ground troops, two air troops, one headquarters troop and one aviation maintenance troop.
The 1st Cavalry has a proud heritage of over one hundred and sixty years of distinguished service in the United States Army, This heritage is symbolized by the squadron's one hundred and one campaign streamers dating back from the Mexican War in 1846 to Desert Storm in 1991. This is the most of any Regular Army unit. This heritage is further symbolized by the fact that thirty-seven members of this unit have earned the Medal of Honor. The 1-1 Cav was the first Task Force Eagle unit to cross the Sava River into Bosnia. 1-1 Cav conducted Peace Enforcement operations from December 1995 to November 1996.
1-1 Cav traces its origins to June 1832 when Henry Dodge organized a battalion of mounted Rangers to fight Black Hawk Indian War. The unit was officially organized by an act of Congress as the United States Regiment of Dragoons on March 2, 1833.
1-1 cav guarded the American frontier for over 60 years clashing with the Black Hawk, Comanche, Pawnee, Apache, Modoc, Nez Perce, Mojave, Crow, and the Sioux Indian Nations during the Indian Wars and in the process won five battle honors during the Mexican War. The unit took part in the battle of Santa Cruz Rosales in Mexico after having marched 210 miles in 4 days and nights to reach it.
1-1 Cav fought at Anteitam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Shenandoah, Petersburg, and Appomatox during the American Civil War.
During the Spanish-American War the unit fought at Santiago, Cuba during the Spanish-American War, receiving its 61st battle honor. Following the war the unit went to the Philippines to put down insurrections.
1-1 Cav guarded the Mexican border from the Bandit Pancho Villa during World War I. It held its last mounted review as a regiment of Horse Cavalry - December 14, 1932.
The Air Cavalry Troop joined the Squadron in January, 1968. The unit remained in the field continuously during Vietnam from 1967-1972, taking part in 13 campaigns.
1-1 Cav took up a frontier mission in December 1978 in the surveillance of the international border between the Federal Republic of Germany and Czechoslovakia.
During Desert Storm, 1-1 Cav spearheaded 1st Armored Division's attack into Iraq in Febuary 1991.
V Corps' smallest aircraft may not appear to be the action hero in the corps' air arsenal, but wherever the 1st Armored Division goes, its "eye in the sky" -- the Kiowa Warrior -- is the point man. Since joining the Army's ranks in the mid-1970s, the tiny light observation helicopter has taken an active part in Army aerial reconnaissance missions. With operations such as Desert Shield and Desert Storm under its rotor blades, the Kiowa has proven time and again it's the little helicopter that could.
V Corps' Kiowa force stands 27 soldiers strong and hails from Buedingen, Germany. Part of the 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, the unit consists of three troops: Desperado, Executioner and Falcon. The mission of the Kiowa troops is to conduct aerial reconnaissance and report what they see - obstacles or enemy positions, for example -- to the division. Where the Kiowas lead, the division follows.
They work closely with the tanks and Bradleys on the ground. They don't make a lot of noise and we don't shoot a lot of stuff . (but) as air cavalry, they bring a lot to the division. The Kiowas often fly in the shadows of their bigger brothers, the division's Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, under the radar of the public, because their mission isn't to "shoot a lot of stuff." But it is the Kiowas that are in the lead, acting as the much-needed eyes of the division.
The Kiowa mission is to help locate and identify the enemy, to see, but not be seen. Without us the response time of the division would be slower to react and the cavalry size itself would be smaller. Much of the Kiowa's effectiveness comes from its small size. Standing just over 12 feet tall and 41 feet long, the little bird can maneuver better than its bigger brothers. (The Kiowa's) size enables it to do better with reconnaissance missions. It has the flexibility (to go where) larger aircraft are too big and loud to get into. The ability to maneuver allows them to see more, and see a lot farther on the battlefield.
A mast-mounted sight that sits atop the aircraft allows the Kiowa to "see." The high-tech "eye" includes a thermal imaging sensor, television sensor, laser range finder/designator and optical boresight system. While the pilot concentrates on flying, the system works hand in hand with the chopper's crew chief to scout the terrain ahead. This is the most stable laser designator platform on the battlefield.
And though the Kiowa doesn't have an attack mission, it still packs a punch. Four different weapons can be mounted on its two wing pylons: a 50-caliber heavy machine gun, a 70-millimeter folding-fin aerial rocket, an air-to-air Stinger missile and a Hellfire modular missile system. The Kiowa's weapons system is capable of defeating any known armor, to defend itself from enemy contact or small arms fire. But the most deadly aspect of the Kiowa is not its weapons, but what follows the aircraft - the tanks, troops and aircraft of 1st Armored Division.
Each Kiowa is assigned a two-person crew consisting of pilot and crew chief. And though small in size, the Kiowa is one of the most demanding aircraft, due the fact that it is one of the few aircraft left a pilot actually gets to fly. This is one of the older aircraft in the Army's inventory. It's a more demanding aircraft. All of our pilots are smart guys; they are smart soldiers. Our crew chiefs also have a lot required of them. To keep their skills in peak condition, the crews must meet semi-annual flying requirements. They fly at least once a week, and generally more than twice a week.
