1st Battalion - 9th Cavalry Regiment - Headhunters
As part of the Army's transformation towards a modular force, the 1-9 CAV was inactivated from the 3rd Brigade at Fort Hood on July 14, 2005. The 1-9 CAV was reactivated a short time later on October 18th, 2005 with the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Bliss.
On 28 July 1866, the 39th Congress of the United States passed an act to improve the peace establishment of the nation. This act authorized the formation of an additional two cavalry and four infantry regiments. For the first time in our nation's history, these Regular Army regiments were to consist of black enlisted soldiers. The Ninth Cavalry was organized on 21 September 1866 at Greenville, Louisiana, a town near New Orleans. Colonel Edward Hatch, a veteran cavalryman and former general officer in the recently concluded Civil War, was selected to be the regiment's first commander. The Ninth Cavalry along with its sister regiment, the Tenth Cavalry, became known as the "Buffalo Soldier" regiments - a title of respect bestowed by the Indians they fought.
In the 1870s and the 1880s, the Ninth Cavalry fought with great distinction throughout the western United States in numerous campaigns against marauding American Indians, Mexicans, and lawless settlers. The Ninth Cavalry was often the only source of security on the frontier and was often at odds with those who would profit from banditry. While most of the Ninth's actions were against hostile Indians, in 1884 the regiment also protected the friendly Indian tribes settled in present-day Oklahoma from settlers seeking to steal their land. From these early campaigns, the Ninth Cavalry derived a part of its unit insignia: an Indian in breach cloth mounted on a galloping pony and brandishing a rifle in one hand. The Ninth Cavalry troopers earned fifteen Medals of Honor during the Indian Wars. Most of these medals were earned by noncommissioned officers leading small detachments of soldiers. The regiment participated in campaigns against the Comanches, Utes, Sioux, and Apaches.
Two months after the battleship Maine sank in Cuban waters, the regiment, then stationed at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, was alerted for deployment to war. The regiment departed four days later on 60 rail cars destined for Florida to stage for invasion. One of the first units to go ashore, it fought as dismounted infantry alongside Theodore Roosevelt's Roughriders in the gallant charge up Kettle Hill and San Juan Heights. The regiment's commanding officer, Colonel Hamilton, was killed in action during the attack. It was here that the regiment derived the rest of its insignia: the five bastioned fort patch of the Fifth Army Corps to which the Ninth Cavalry was assigned. After the fighting ended in Cuba, the regiment was sent to another trouble spot, the Philippines.
During the Insurrection, the Ninth Cavalry continued its hard fighting tradition by conducting three successful deployments to the Philippines from 1900 to 1916 to fight the rebellious Moro tribesmen and earned the respect of the military governor, General Arthur MacArthur. While most of the regiment was deployed to the Philippines, several troops remained stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco. In 1903, these troops served as a Guard of Honor to President Theodore Roosevelt. This was the first time black regular cavalrymen served in this capacity. During the 1920s and the 1930s, the regiment patrolled the Mexican border and was assigned to the 3d Cavalry Division on 1 March 1933.
The regiment was called upon again during World War II. On 10 October 1940, the Ninth Cavalry was reassigned to the 2d Cavalry Division and prepared for overseas deployment. The regiment trained in the Arkansas Maneuver Area from August to October 1941 then returned to Fort Riley. Due to overcrowding at Fort Riley, the regiment transferred to Fort Clark Texas in July 1942 where it continued training for combat in Europe. The War Department decided a second cavalry division unnecessary for victory and directed the division deploy to the Meditteranean theater and inactivate to provide replacements to critical logistical organizations. Accordingly, the regiment dismounted, embarked at Hampton Roads, Virginia on 31 January 1944, arrived in North Africa on 9 February 1944, and inactivated on 7 March 1944 at Assi-Ben Okba, Algeria. The regiment's soldiers were transferred to support units.
The 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry shares the heritage of the 302d Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized) with which it was later consolidated. The 302d was activated 4 December, 1943 in Australia and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. The 302d participated in the New Guinea, Bismark Archipelago, Leyte, and Luzon campaigns.
On 20 October, 1950, the regiment was redesignated the 509th Tank Battalion. The battalion was activated on 1 November, 1950, at Camp Polk, Louisiana, and reassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. At the time the 1st Cavalry Division was in battle with the Republic of Korea. The 509th Tank Battalion arrived in Korea in time for the historic defense of Pusan and fought in numerous campaigns throughout the war, earning distinction and honor in the fight against North Korean and Chinese aggression. In December 1952, the battalion became one of the early units to racially integrate. After the war, the battalion patrolled the DMZ until 10 April, 1956, when it was transferred back to Fort Knox Kentucky and inactivated. On 1 November 1957, the 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry was activated in Korea and redesignated the 1st Squadron (Reconnaissance), 9th Cavalry and reassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. The squadron was transferred from Korea to Fort Benning, Georgia on 1 July, 1965 and reorganized.
On 15 September, 1965, the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry began combat operations in the Republic of Vietnam as the division's air cavalry squadron. The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry participated in such pivotal battles as the Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sahn, Binh Dinh, and QuangTri. Until 28 June 1971, the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry remained in Vietnam. During that period, elements from the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry earned fourteen campaign streamers, three Presidential Unit Citations, five Valorous Unit Citations, and the reputation as one of the finest combat units in Vietnam. It is estimated that the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry was responsible for fifty percent of all enemy soldiers killed by the 1st Cavalry Division during the war. It was for this reason that the battalion earned its current nickname "The Headhunters." The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry troopers earned two Medals of Honor in Vietnam. The Fort Hood Guest House, Poxon House, was named in honor of one of the squadron's Medal of Honor recipients, First Lieutenant Robert L. Poxon, who earned his Medal of Honor on 2 June 1969, in the Tay Ninh Province. Hollywood honored the squadron in its fictional portrayal of an attack on a communist base camp in the film Apocalypse Now.
After Vietnam, the squadron returned to Fort Hood with the rest of the 1st Cavalry Division and served as divisional recon squadron until 16 October 1986, when it was deactivated. On 16 March, 1987, the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry was reactivated at Fort Lewis, Washington, and assigned to the 9th Infantry Division (Motorized) as the divisional reconnaissance squadron. In 1991 the squadron was inactivated along with the rest of the Ninth Infantry Division.
On 25 November, 1992, the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry was reactivated, reorganized as a mechanized infantry battalion, redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry and assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division as part of the 3d (Grey Wolf) Brigade. The battalion continued to be called upon for hard missions and has completed deployments to the Emirate of Kuwait for Intrinsic Action and highly successful National Training Center rotations in July 1993, January 1996, and December 1997. The 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry continued the proud traditions of the regiment.
The regiment boasts of a long list of distinguished members, including General (Retired) Robert Shoemaker, Lieutenant General (Retired) Paul Funk, and Sergeant Major of the Army (Retired) William Connelly.
The mission of 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment was to deploy, fight and win....anytime the nation gives it the call.
The Headhunters of the 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment deployed to Iraq in early 2004. They were operating in a very complex environment as they conducted combat operations, assisted Iraqi institutions (Neighborhood councils, Iraqi National Guard, Iraqi police etc), and facilitated quality of life improvements for the Iraqi people. Two companies from the 1st of the 9th CAV were working with other Task Forces. TF 1-9 consisted of C/1-9 CAV, HHC/1-9 CAV, C/1-153 IN (Arkansas NG), A/8th ENG, A/215 Forward Support Battalion, along with a PSYOPs and a Civil Affairs Team (both Army reserve units out of Florida and Texas respectfully).
TF 1-9 CAV was located in downtown Baghdad, subordinate to 3rd BDE of the 1st CAV Division. Their area contained slums and lower to upper class neighborhoods. The dense urban terrain meant that the Headhunters had to do a whole lot of dismounted patrolling. The TF had been engaged in numerous combat actions. These included reacting to enemy ambushes, hasty attacks on enemy ambush positions, and numerous cordon and search operations to capture terrorists, insurgents, and gangsters. The enemy had employed Improvised Explosive devices, RPGs, mortar fire, small arms, and hand grenades against patrols. TF 1-9 CAV soldiers did very well against these attacks due to their high level of training, protective equipment, and courage under fire.
Unfortunately, TF 1-9 CAV suffered some casualties while conducting the mission. By early July 2004 there were over 30 soldiers wounded and two killed. SFC Miranda (C/1-153 IN) was killed on the 19th of May by an IED in a small alley. It also seriously injured three others, SPC Crawford, SPC Kuykendall, and SPC Phillips (all three were evacuated to the states). SPC Pannell (C/1-153 IN) was severely injured during a hand grenade attack and was also evacuated to the United States. He and SPC Phillips were at Walter Reed recovering. SPC Heines (C/1-9 CAV) was killed when an RPG struck his Humvee during a night engagement with insurgents. The rest of the wounded were able to return to duty within a few days.
To improve quality of life and make contact with the locals they conducted patrols to assess essential services in the city, electricity, water, sewage, and trash removal. They used these patrols to develop positive relationships with the people and see how they could help them. They also made sure the Iraqi civilians got to hear our side of the story. If the Iraqis were capable of seeing that the US soldiers were genuine in their desire to help them, they would have dropped their support for insurgents, or even better, started providing us more information.
