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E Troop 4th Cavalry

On 28 March 2008, E Troop, 4th Cavalry returned from Germany. The 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) at this time cased its colors in Germany and was subsequently reorganized and redesignated the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), under the Army's new modular force structure. A part of this transformation entailed the activation of full Cavalry Squadrons as part of each of the Division's reorganized modular Brigades. Previous Brigade Cavalry Troops and the Divisional Cavalry Squadron were inactivated. E Troop, 4th Cavalry was used as the basis for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team's cavalry squadron, 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment.

E Troop served as the Brigade Reconnaissance Troop for 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), located in Schweinfurt, Germany. It mission was to conduct air insertion, mounted and dismounted infiltration through the enemy security zone and perform route, area, or zone reconnaissance in the enemy rear area. The Troop also performed forward and flank screening missions to provide early intelligence on enemy offensive activities and disrupt his movement with indirect fires.

E Troop was first constituted on 3 March 1855 in the Regular Army as E Company, 1st Cavalry and organized July through October of 1885 at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

In 1883 the unit was officially redesignated E Troop, 1st Cavalry, as part of an Army wide redesignation of Cavalry elements from Companies and Battalions to Troops and Squadrons. On 16 April 1942 is was again reorganized and redesignated as A Troop, 4th Cavalry (Mechanized). In December 1943 it was again reorganized and redesignated as A Troop, 4th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized).

Following the war the unit was converted and redesignated on 1 April 1949 as A Company, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion. This unit was inactivated in 1955 in Austria.

On 20 April 1959 the unit was reactivated and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 5th Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Cavalry, withdrawn from the Regular Army, and allotted to the Army Reserve's 103rd Infantry Division (organic elements of the squadron concurrently constituted) and relocated to Ottumwa, Iowa. It served for roughly 4 years before being inactivated on 15 March 1963 at Ottumwa, Iowa, and was relieved from assignment to the 103rd Infantry Division.

The Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 5th Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Cavalry were redesignated and reactivated between December 1963 and January 1964 as E Troop, 4th Cavalry, and assigned to the 205th Infantry Brigade at Madiaon, Wisconsin.

The unit was inactivated on 15 June 1994 at Madison, Wisconsin, and relieved from assignment to the 205th Infantry Brigade. It was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division on 18 December 1998 and activated at Schweinfurt, Germany on 16 January 1999 as the 2nd Brigade Reconnaissance Troop.

In June 1999, E Troop deployed to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Kosovo as the lead element of the initial entry force. It remained there until December 1999, serving on the border between Kosovo and Serbia and as a quick reaction force, responding to incidents of violence all over the Multinational Brigade-East sector.

Troops D, E, and F served in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom from February 2004-2005. Troop E returned to Iraq for a second tour from July 2006 until October 2007.

In March 2008 the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) returned to Germany from Iraq. The 2nd Brigade at that time cased its colors in Germany and was inactivated, being reorganized and reactivated at Fort Riley, Kansas as the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), under the Army's new modular force structure. A part of this transformation entailed the activation of full Cavalry Squadrons as part of each of the Division's reorganized modular Brigades. Previous Brigade Cavalry Troops and the Divisional Cavalry Squadron were inactivated. E Troop, 4th Cavalry was used as the basis for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team's cavalry squadron, 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment.