Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division

In April 2010, the Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division was inactivated and reflagged as the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division.

The Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division was first constituted on 6 September 1921 in the Regular Army as the 1st Cavalry Division Train (Transportation Service), Quartermaster Corps. It was organized on 20 September 1921 at Fort Bliss, Texas as the 1st Cavalry Division Quartermaster Train. It was reorganized and redesignated on 1 May 1936 as the 16th Quartermaster Squadron, an element of the 1st Cavalry Division.

The unit was again redesignated on 15 March 1943 as the 16th Cavalry Quartermaster Squadron. During the Second World War, the unit served with the 1st Cavalry Division in 4 campaigns in the Pacific Theater: New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Leyte, and Luzon.

After the end of the Second World War, the Squadron was broken up 15 November 1946 and its elements converted, reorganized, and redesignated. Headquarters and Headquarters Troop was coverted, reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 16th Quartermaster Squadron. Troop A became the 18th Transportation Truck Troop; Troop B became the 19th Transportation Truck Troop; and Troop C became the 15th Quartermaster Pack Troop, all of which thereafter had separate lineages. Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 16th Quartermaster Squadron was inactivated on 31 May 1947 in Japan.

The unit was converted and redesignated on 25 March 1949 as the 15th Replacement Company and remained an element of the 1st Cavalry Division. It was activated on 25 September 1949 in Japan. During the Korean War, the unit supported the 1st Cavalry Division in 7 campaigns: UN Defensive, UN Offensive, CCF Intervention, First UN Counteroffensive, CCF Spring Offensive, UN Summer-Fall Offensive, and Second Korean Winter.

The unit was reorganized and redesignated on 15 October 1957 as the 15th Administration Company. This unit remained part of the 1st Cavalry Division in Korea, until it exchanged places with the 2nd Infantry Division, becoming part of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in 1965. It deployed with the 1st Cavalry Division to Vietnam, participating in 13 campaigns: Defense, Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase II, Counteroffensive Phase III, Tet Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive Phase IV, Counteroffensive Phase V, Counteroffensive Phase VI, Tet 69/Counteroffensive, Summer-Fall 1969, Winter-Spring 1970, Sanctuary Counteroffensive, and Counteroffensive Phase VII.

The unit was inactivated on 15 September 1985 at Fort Hood, Texas. It was redesignated on 16 October 2005 as Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, and activated at Fort Hood, Texas as part of the transformation of the 1st Cavalry Division to the US Army's modular force structure.

In late August 2005, the Battalion executed its first mission: provide support to the Division Main Command Post and Tactical Command Post (forward) as they deployed to provide humanitarian relief throughout Louisiana in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Throughout the late summer and fall of 2006, the Battalion deployed over 1,200 Soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas to Baghdad, Iraq where it supported 1st Cavalry Division/Multinational Division-Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. The Battalion conducted relief in place and transfer of authority on 15 November 2006. The Battalion quickly grew to over 2,000 personnel of all services as the "Surge" forces entered Iraq. For its superb performance during the decisive period in Iraq, the Battalion was collectively recognized with the Meritorious Unit Commendation. The Battalion was relieved of its mission in Baghdad on 19 December 2007 and redeployed all personnel and equipment back to Fort Hood, Texas.

In the fall of 2008, the Battalion received orders to return to Baghdad. Sending forth elements of the Network Hub Platoon to Qatar in late December 2008 in order to establish critical communications support, the Battalion deployed throughout January 2009, closing on Baghdad by the end of the month. The Battalion, as the headquarters command and support force for the 1st Cavalry Division/Multi-National Division-Baghdad, conducted relief in place and transfer of authority on 10 February 2009, officially assuming its mission for Operation Iraqi Freedom 09-10.