1st Battalion - 5th Cavalry Regiment
"Black Knights"
1st Battalion, 5th United States Cavalry Regiment was formed in 1855. From its inception, it was an elite unit, with the Secretary of War Jefferson Davis hand-picking its members from a dozen states. In its 144-year history, the Battalion has participated in nine wars and has been awarded 62 campaign streamers. 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry and it's companies have been awarded over 20 unit citations and boast 45 members of the battalion who have received the nation's highest award for bravery, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
The "Black Knights" have since transitioned from horseback to Bradley Fighting Vehicles, after serving valiantly in the Second World War, Korea, and Vietnam. In 1986, as the U.S. Army's only combined arms balanced Task Force, Task Force 1-5 CAV combined the sheer guts of the Infantry, the rapid firepower of the 25mm Bushmaster, and the awesome firepower of the M1 tank. The test of the Combined Arms Mechanized Battalion organization came in 1990, when the "Black Knights" deployed to Saudi Arabia and prepared to battle the Iraqi Army. 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry was the first unit to conduct a ground attack on the Iraqi Army on 20 February 1991 and went on to win more awards for valor than any other unit in the Division.
1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry received the Division order to deploy to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Forge. The "Black Knights" trained and prepared for this mission assignment. The Battalion participated in several training events, including gunnery, platoon and company STX, and culminated with a two week Mission Readiness Exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Ft. Polk, Louisiana. This was done while the Battalion continued to support the no notice deployment requirement of the Division.
On October 7, 1998, The First Cavalry Division assumed authority of the MultiNational Division (North) area of operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina from the 1st Armored Division. The division was the first CONUS based division to assume this mission. As part of the 1st Cavalry Division, 1-5 CAV's mission was to conduct operations to enforce the military provisions set forth by the Dayton Accords.
Task Force 1-5 CAV in Bosnia consisted of a Headquarters Company, two mechanized infantry companies, three armor companies, a military intelligence company, an engineer company and numerous slice elements and attachments. The Task Force patrolled its sector of Multinational Division (North) as a part of Stabilization Force Five (SFOR5) from 20 March 1999 to 20 September 1999.
In order to conduct successful peace missions while in theater, soldiers were extensively trained on mine awareness, country and cultural customs and checkpoint and convoy operations. Training was conducted on all levels including individual readiness training, leader/staff training, and a Mission Rehearsal Exercise (MRE).
During the six months, squads and platoons from the 1st CAV Division conducted over 9,000 combat patrols and escorted over 1000 convoy movements over some of the most rugged terrain and austere conditions.
The soldiers conducted hundreds of weapons storage site inspections, established vehicle checkpoints designed to monitor and control movement and often conducted searches for and seizures of illegal contraband and weapons.
1-5 CAV Soldiers served at Both Camp Dobol (TF 1-5 CAV) and Camp Demi (TF 2-12 CAV). Significant events of the rotation included a Serbian Air Attack (2 MIG's downed by US Air Force), a hand grenade thrown at a patrol, a rocket attack against US personnel and several demonstrations. Through all of this TF 1-5 soldiers performed professionally and safely, exchanged experiences with both locals and other NATO forces and helped foster a safe and healing environment for this war torn country.
When directed, the mission of 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment is to provide combat ready forces for NCA-directed contingency operations. On order, deploys by land, sea, and/or air within 24 to 72 hours of notification in order to support NCA directives. On order, conducts operations to achieve NCA directives.
