2nd Battalion - 8th Cavalry Regiment
"Stallions"
The story of the 8th Cavalry Mustangs begins with the activation of Troop B on 23 October 1866 at Angel Island, CA. After being activated, the 8th Cavalry spent the first years in Arizona fighting the Apache and Commache Indians. The Mustangs were moved to Ft. Davis, Texas in 1875. They served along the Mexican border protecting settlers and ranchers from hostile Indians for the next several years. They were again sent to fight Indians in 1890, this time to Montana to fight the Sioux.
Mustang troopers were sent to foreign shores for the first time at the turn of the century. They served in Cuba from 1898 to 1902. Their next overseas duty took them to the Philippines in 1910.
In 1915, the 8th Cavalry was moved again. This time they were moved to Fort Bliss, Texas. Their assignment was to patrol the Mexican - American border to protect ranchers from bandit raids. It was during this assignment that two of the more famous personnel were assigned to 8th Cavalry: Lieutenant George S. Patton and General Pershing.
The 8th Cavalry became part of the 1st Cavalry Division in September 1921. It served as a horse cavalry regiment until 1942, when the Mustangs took part in amphibious training. They served in the pacific theater during World War II. Again in 1945, they found themselves in the Philippines. Receiving orders directly from General MacArthur, they drove 100 miles from Luzon to Manila driving a wedge in the enemy lines. They were the "FIRST IN MANILA" and received a Presidential Unit Citation for this action. At the end of WWII, they were ordered to accompany General MacArthur to Japan. They spent the next five years in Japan.
Eighteen days after North Korea moved across the 18th parallel the Mustangs made an amphibious landing behind enemy lines. The Mustangs remained in Korea until December 1951, when they returned to Japan for another five years.
In September 1963, the 8th Cavalry was reorganized into 2/8 Cavalry, an airborne unit. The Mustangs were sent to Vietnam in September 1965. The Mustangs saw some of the fiercest battles. B Company was the first unit in the 1st Cavalry Division to receive the Valorous Unit Citation in 1966. The 2/8 very actively patrolled the jungles of Vietnam it stood down in June of 1972, mostly patrolling north and south of Hwy 1 east of Bien Hoa. On May 10th 1972 a Chinook helicopter carrying a platoon from D Co. 2/8 (Angry Skipper) crashed and all aboard were killed. The battalion left Vietnam in 1971 and was inactivated in June of 1972.
Reactivated in April 1974, the Mustangs found their current home: Fort Hood. This time, they were mechanized. 2/8 Cavalry deployed in August 1990 to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield and Dessert Storm. The Mustangs helped the coalition forces overwhelm the Iraqi forces and secure the freedom of Kuwait, the redeployed back to Fort Hood in April 1991.
In August of 1998, the Mustangs were called upon to deploy to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Forge as a part of the peace keeping stabilization force. The 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry occupied Camp Bedrock in September of 1998 and patrolled the Tuzla Corridor. The 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry redeployed back to Fort Hood in March of 1999.
As of early 2001, the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, following the transition of the 1st Battalion, 12th Calvary Regiment to the M1A2 SEP tank, was itself scheduled to that M1A2 tank.
