2d Stryker Cavalry Regiment The 2d Cavalry Regiment ( 2 CR ) , also known as the Second Dragoons , is an active " Stryker ized " infantry and cavalry regiment of the United States Army . The Second Dragoons is a component of V Corps and United States Army Europe , with its garrison at the Rose Barracks in Vilseck , Germany . It can trace its lineage back to the early part of the 19th century where the 2nd Cavalry has the distinction of being the longest continuously serving regiment in the Army . The regiment has previously been known as the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons ( 5 / 1836 - 3 / 1843 , 4 / 1844 - 8 / 1861 ) ; 2nd Regiment of Riflemen ( 3 / 1843 - 4 / 1844 ) ; 2nd U . S . Cavalry Regiment ( 8 / 1861 - 7 / 1942 ) ; 2nd Cavalry Regiment ( Mecz ) ( 1 / 1943 - 12 / 1943 ) ; 2nd Cavalry Group ( Mecz ) ( 12 / 1943 - 7 / 1946 ) ; 2nd Constabulary Regiment ( 7 / 1946 - 11 / 1948 ) ; 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment ( 11 / 1948 - 7 / 1992 ) ; 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment ( Light ) ( 7 / 1992 - 6 / 2006 ) ; 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment ( 6 / 2006 - 7 / 2011 ) and most recently 2d Cavalry Regiment ( July 2011 – present ) . History . Between 1808 – 1815 . In 1808 , there was one Regiment of Dragoons and during the War of 1812 another regiment was raised . Units of both Regiments of Dragoons served in engagements at the Mississineway River ; the Battle of Lundy ' s Lane ; Fort Erie and the siege of Fort Meigs . These two regiments were consolidated on 30 March 1814 into the " Regiment of Light Dragoons " but this new unit was dissolved on 15 June 1815 . Early organization . The precursor organization was originally established by President Andrew Jackson on 23 May 1836 , as the Second Regiment of Dragoons of the U . S . Army . Two squadrons were originally raised , one at Jefferson Barracks , Missouri , and one in Florida to combat the Seminole Indians . It saw its first combat during the Seminole Wars , then served on the Texas frontier under Col . David Twiggs . The regiment fought in the Mexican - American War , the early frontier Indian Wars , Bleeding Kansas , and the Utah War . 2nd cavalry regiment was station in Waterloo , Iowa Civil War . At the onset of the Civil War in 1861 , it was recalled to the Eastern theater and redesignated in August of that year as the Second Cavalry . For much of the war , it was a key part of either the " Reserve Brigade " or the " Regular Brigade " of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac and served in numerous campaigns and battles . During the Battle of Gettysburg , the 2nd U . S . Cavalry served under Wesley Merritt and engaged the Confederates south of Gettysburg on the third day . Like the other early mounted units , many members of the Second Cavalry went on to higher ranks and command positions on both sides during the War . Spanish - American War , World War I and World War II . During the Spanish - American War , the 2nd Cavalry deployed to Cuba , joining Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders , fighting at El Canay , San Juan Hill , Aquadores , and Santiago . The Regiment remained in Cuba on pacification duty for the next three years . From Cuba , the Regiment deployed to the Philippines , participating in the Cavite Campaign in 1899 as well as fighting the Moro in 1911 and 1912 . During World War I , the Regiment ' saddled up ' again , this time under ' Black Jack ' Pershing in Europe , participating in several battles , including the Aisne - Marne Offensive . Troops B , D , F and H became the last elements of the Regiment to ever engage the enemy as mounted horse cavalry . During World War II , the Regiment ( this time under the designation of ' 2nd Cavalry Group , Mechanized ' ) landed in France in July 1944 , becoming part of General Patton ' s Third Army . During this period , the Regiment became known as the ' Ghosts of Patton ' s Army ' due to their ability to conduct reconnaissance , materializing seemingly at will behind German lines . The Regiment made the deepest penetration of the war , arriving in Czechoslovakia before finally linking up with Soviet forces heading west . Under the leadership of Col . Charles H . Reed , the Regiment rescued the famous Lipizzaner Stallions from the combat zone and brought them to safety in Germany . At the end of the war , the unit was re - designated , yet again , as the 2nd Constabulary Regiment , and eventually the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1948 . The Cold War , Desert Storm , and reorganization . During the Cold War , the Regiment was responsible for guard / surveillance duty along the Iron Curtain , acting as a tripwire for the long - expected , but never materializing , Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe . The Regiment ' s border sector varied in its dimensions over the years but always included portions of both the East German and Czechoslovakian borders with the Federal Republic of Germany . The Regiment patrolled the border by air and ground . Ground cavalry troops on the border operated out of border camps close to the frontier . Regular border tours in sizable sectors contributed to the development of independence and self - sufficiency that characterizes cavalry operations and paid great training dividends in leader training to the cavalry squadrons of the Regiment . In 1978 , M Company , 3rd Squadron , 2nd ACR was selected to represent the US in the 1979 Canadian Army Trophy ( CAT ) , finishing 4th – the first time the US entrant had not placed last . The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe meant the Regiment had to now redefine its role . During this process , the Regiment was alerted for deployment to Saudi Arabia in response to the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq . The regiment spearheaded the VII Corps end - run deep into Iraq during the Persian Gulf War . During its covering force mission , units of the Regiment destroyed two brigades of the Iraqi Republican Guards Tawakalna Division in the Battle of 73 Easting . The unit earned the Valorous Unit Award for its service in Operation Desert Storm . Returning from the Gulf , the Regiment was relocated from Germany to Fort Lewis , Washington . The Regiment ' s ground squadrons were converted into a light cavalry unit consisting of Humvee s mounted with TOW launchers , MK - 19 grenade launchers , . 50 caliber machine guns and squad automatic weapon s ( SAW ) . The 2nd ACR " light " was then sent to Ft Polk , LA in 1992 . From here , the Regiment deployed in support of the peace enforcement operation in Haiti from 1995 to 1996 . The 3rd Squadron ( " Wolfpack " ) was the first ground unit to deploy and operated under the 25th Infantry Division in Port au Prince , Haiti . After six months in Haiti , 1st Squadron arrived to replace 3rd Squadron . 2nd Squadron replaced 3rd Squadron in October 1995 and redeployed in March 1996 completing the cycle . Bosnia service . In April 1997 , the Regiment received orders to be prepared to deploy to Bosnia and Herzegovina . Following the first Mission Rehearsal Exercise held at the JRTC in June , the unit moved to Germany to begin integration with the 1st Armored Division . Meanwhile , all its equipment was shipped to the Intermediate Staging Base at Taszar , Hungary . The Regiment ' s participation in Operation Joint Guard began when the 2nd and 3rd Squadrons moved across the Sava River into Bosnia in August 1997 to augment the 1st Infantry Division ( Forward ) in support of Bosnia - Herzegovina ' s municipal elections . The Regiment ' s air cavalry , the 4th Squadron and the Regimental Support Squadron also moved into the country . The Regiment ' s separate units – the 502nd Military Intelligence Company ; the 84th Engineer Company ; Company H ( Aviation Maintenance ) , 159th Aviation Regiment ; and the Air Defense Battery – completed the Regimental troop list . While the ground squadrons were in Bosnia , the Regimental headquarters deployed to Germany to train with the 1st Armored Division Headquarters in preparation for assuming command in Bosnia . During August and September , the Regiment was spread across five countries on two continents , and was under the direct command and control of three different general officer commands . This period included another first for any Army unit during a 12 - month period : the Regiment participated in major training exercises at all three of the Army ' s Combat Training Centers : The National Training Center ( NTC ) at Fort Irwin , the Joint Readiness Training Center ( JRTC ) at Fort Polk , and the Joint Multinational Readiness Center ( JMRC ) at Hohenfels , Germany . In October the remainder of the Regiment rode into theater , assuming responsibility for the American sector of Multinational Division ( North ) , which stretched from the war - torn bridge at Brcko in the north to the shattered city of Srebrenica in the south . The first major action of the Regiment in Bosnia was the seizing of Serbian radio - television towers to control communications into the Republika Srpska . Other significant operations that the Regiment conducted include : the restructuring of the Republika Srpska Specialist Police ; the creation of the first multi - ethnic police department , in the city of Brčko ; security for the announcement of the Brcko Arbitration Decision ( an effort to resolve the status of this Serb - dominated city within Bosnia ) ; institution of common license plates and currency in Bosnia , and the opening of the Bosnian rail system . In conducting operations in sector , the Regiment executed an estimated 12 , 500 patrols and 480 weapon storage site inspections , supervised the removal of over 12 , 000 mines , and oversaw 350 training exercises for the former warring factions . The Regiment served one of the longest tours of military units there . The 21st century . After returning from Bosnia , the unit remained at Fort Polk , Louisiana until deployed again to the Gulf for Operation Iraqi Freedom , remaining for a total of 16 months earning another presidential unit citation . The Regiment was required to fight against insurgent forces in areas ranging from Baghdad to Najaf to Al Kut . On its return from combat operations , the Regiment found itself heading back to Fort Lewis in Washington in December 2004 . The Regiment was re - designated the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and reorganized as a Stryker Brigade Combat Team in April 2005 . On 1 June 2006 at Fort Lewis , Wash . , the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and the 1st Brigade , 25th Infantry Division conducted a joint reflagging and casing ceremony . The 2nd CR was reflagged as the 4th Brigade , 2nd Infantry Division ( Stryker ) . The 1st Brigade , 25th Infantry Division cased its brigade colors and was reflagged as the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment . The Army restationed 2d SCR to Rose Barracks , Vilseck , Germany , near the Regiment ' s Cold War home of Nuernberg , as of 15 September 2006 . With a foundation of infantry - based tactics and the mobility of the Stryker vehicle , the Stryker unit has become more of a hybrid , filling the gap between pure , light infantry and the mechanized , heavy infantry . This move now truly describes the soldiers of the unit as ' Dragoons ' – mounted infantry . On 8 May 2007 , the Department of Defense announced that the 2nd Cavalry Regiment ( Stryker ) would deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in August 2007 . The 3rd Squadron ( Wolfpack ) , with Troop N ( " Nemesis " ) of 4th Squadron attached , along with Troop E ( " Eagle " ) , 2nd Squadron ( Cougars ) , were very successful in rooting out Al - Qaeda forces from their last stronghold in Baghdad ' s Hadar neighborhood in East Rashid . 1st Squadron participated in the final clearance of Sadr City . The regiment served a 15 - month tour in Iraq in both the Baghdad area and later Diyala province . It was at its most consolidated by June 2008 with all units but 1st Squadron , which was in Sadr City . On 25 November 2008 , the 2nd Cavalry Regiment ( Stryker ) was officially welcomed back to Vilseck , Germany . In July 2010 , they deployed to Afghanistan upon their return the name was changed from 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment to 2nd Cavalry Regiment ( Stryker ) . Operation Enduring Freedom . On 15 March 2010 , the Department of Defense announced that the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment would deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the International Security Assistance Force in July 2010 . In July 2010 , 1st Squadron assumed responsibility of Tarin Kowt , Afghanistan in Uruzgan Province as well as the Shah Wali Kot District Serving alongside 2nd Cavalry Regiment ( Australia ) . The remainder of the Regiment was located in the volatile Kandahar Province with Regimental Headquarters located at FOB Lagman . In the summer of 2013 , the 2d Cavalry Regiment deployed to Afghanistan for a second time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the International Security Assistance Force . Current structure . The 2nd Cavalry ( Stryker ) is organized as a Stryker Brigade Combat Team , consisting of the following units ( note that all Squadrons minus 1st Squadron conducted reflagging ceremonies in Summer 2012 to realign the Regiment to historical precedence ) :