2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment
The 14th Cavalry Regiment was constituted in the regular army on 2 February 1901, and then organized at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, on 19 February 1901. 2nd Squadron was assigned to Fort Logan, Colorado, with two troops sent to Fort Wingate, New Mexico.
The 14th Cavalry Regiment was baptized by fire in 1903 in the insurgency campaigns of the Philippines. 2nd Squadron was stationed at Camp Overton, Mindanao. Troop F was commended for excellent service at the Marahui. Upon successful completion of that campaign in 1906, the Regiment then returned home to the United States and took up garrisons in the Pacific Northwest, where it assumed peacetime duties. The Regiment was again called back to the Philippines in 1909 to increase U.S. presence and provide stability to the region.
In 1912, the Regiment was called for service in the Mexican campaign, joining General 'Black Jack' Pershing's expeditionary forces in the summer of 1916, chasing bandits throughout the dust and heat of the Mexican plains. The Regiment returned to Fort Clark and Fort McIntosh, Texas, where it began the task of patrolling the Mexican border until 1918, when it was called into service in Europe. The Armistice at Versailles was signed before the Regiment could cross the Atlantic, and the Regiment resumed its' border patrol mission.
In 1920, the 14th Cavalry moved to Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and for approximately the next two decades served in a peacetime capacity. In 1942, the Regiment was inactivated, and from its' lineage came the 14th Armored Regiment. On 28 August 1944, the 14th Cavalry Group sailed for Europe, where it landed on Omaha Beach on 30 September 1944, and pressed east. On 18 October, the unit was split with the 18th Squadron attached to the 2nd Infantry Division, and the 32nd Squadron attached to the 83rd Infantry Division.
On 12 December 1944, the headquarters element regained its autonomy, and began guarding the Losheim Gap in Belgium. Then, on 16 December, its' turrets rang in anger as the 14th Cavalry Group received the full brunt of the German winter counter-offensive in the 'Battle of the Bulge.' After two days of savage fighting, the unit re-assembled at Vielsam, Belgium and was attached to the 7th Armored Division. On 25 December, the unit was re-equipped, attached to the XVIII Airborne Corps, and attacked back into the 'Bulge' to destroy the Nazi's final major offensive.
After intense combat in the Ardennes, the Regiment was assigned to the 3rd US Army, and had attacked all the way to the Austrian border before the war ended. After the surrender of Nazi Germany, the Regiment was re-flagged as the 14th Constabulary Regiment in the US Army of Occupation. At the onset of the Cold War, the Regiment was re-designated the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1948, and served on the border, guarding freedom's frontier at the Fulda Gap, until the colors were cased in 1972.
The Regiment was again activated on 15 September 2000 with 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition) assigned to the Initial Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
On 16 May 2002, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry returned to active service as the 'eyes and ears' of 1st Brigade (Stryker), 25th Infantry Division (L).
Replacing the 1-33rd Armor Battalion, the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment was activated at Fort Lewis, Washington as a reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) squadron composed of three reconnaissance troops and a surveillance troop. The reconnaissance troops have three recon platoons and a mortar section. The surveillance troop includes a UAV (drone) platoon, an NBC recon platoon and a number of other sensor systems. The new squadron is part of the Interim Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) that has been formed at Fort Lewis in a move to produce a more deployable force.
The transformation calls for the trade-in of Bradley fighting vehicles and M-1A1 Abrams main battle tanks for a lighter, more mobile system capable of being loaded on a C-130 "Hercules" airplane. The Army plans to equip the BCTs include the Interim Armored Vehicle which will be comprised of two classes of vehicle - the Mobile Gun System and the Infantry Carrier Vehicle. The Infantry Carrier Vehicle will be the center of gravity for the Initial Brigade Combat Teams. The Infantry Carrier Vehicles will be able to carry a squad of nine soldiers and their gear. They will also be accompanied by another vehicle, the Mobile Gun System.
