9th Cavalry Regiment ( United States ) The 9th Cavalry Regiment includes several active duty reconnaissance troops and squadrons of the United States Army . Historically , it was one of a few segregated African American regiments . They served with distinction and valor in combat during the Indian and Spanish American Wars . During American Expansionism and Manifest Destiny , their service provided safety and security to the early western settlers and the early American borders against rogue Indian bands , Mexican encroachment and criminal elements . Presently , its role is to contribute long and short range reconnaissance and sniper assets to the combat brigade and division level and to locate , gather intelligence , engage and kill the enemies of the United States . Formation . The regiment was constituted 28 July 1866 in the Regular Army as Company F , 9th Cavalry . On 3 August 1866 , Major General Philip H . Sheridan , commanding the Military Division of the Gulf , was " authorized to raise , among others , one regiment of colored ( African - American ) cavalry to be designated the 9th Regiment of U . S . Cavalry " . The regiment was organized on 21 September 1866 in New Orleans , Louisiana , and mustered between September 1866 and 31 March 1867 . Its first commanding officer was Colonel Edward Hatch . The men enlisted for five years and received $ 13 per month , plus room , board and clothing . Later they were dubbed " Buffalo Soldier s " . The regiment ' s motto was , and remains , " We Can , We Will " . The mustering , organized by Maj . Francis Moore , 65th U . S . Colored Infantry , formed the nucleus of the enlisted strength , and was obtained from New Orleans and its vicinity . In the autumn of 1866 recruiting was also established in Kentucky , and all the men of the 9th were obtained from that state and Louisiana . The horses were obtained at St . Louis , Missouri . About the middle of September all recruits were assembled in New Orleans , where empty cotton press es were used as barracks . An epidemic of cholera caused the camp to be moved to Carrollton , a suburb of New Orleans . By the end of March 1867 , the 9th Cavalry was at nearly full strength with a total of 885 enlisted men , or an average of over 70 to a troop , and was ordered to San Antonio , Texas , where it arrived early in April for three months of training . However , Troops L and M went directly to their duty station at Brownsville , Texas . Service . Indian wars . In July 1867 the 9th Cavalry was ordered to western and southwestern Texas , to maintain law and order between the Rio Grande and Concho Rivers from Fort Clark to El Paso . Regimental Headquarters and Troops A , B , E and K , under Col . Hatch , were stationed at Fort Stockton ; Troops C , D , F , G , H and I , under Lt . Col . Wesley Merritt were at Fort Davis . Troops L and M under 1st Lt . Hamilton had previously been sent to Brownsville . The 9th remained in Texas for eight years , nearly all of it in the field . The regiment went to New Mexico Military District , which covered parts of New Mexico , Colorado and Texas , and participated in the Apache Wars from 1875 to 1881 . That service included the Battle of Tularosa with Chiricahua Apache warriors led by Victorio in May 1880 . The 9th Cavalry was transferred to Fort Riley , Kansas , in 1881 , and to Fort Robinson , Nebraska , in 1885 . Spanish - American War through WW1 . In 1898 , the 9th US Cavalry Regiment fought bravely alongside Theodore Roosevelt ' s Rough Riders at the battles of Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill . Later , they served as his honor guard during his visit to San Francisco . In 1899 and again in 1904 the 9th Cavalry patrolled Yosemite National Park joining other cavalry and infantry as the first " Rangers " of the park system . Under General John J . Pershing , the regiment fought in the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico in 1916 . The regiment spent World War I in the Philippines . On 1 March 1933 the 9th Cavalry was assigned to the 3d Cavalry Division . West Point . On 23 March 1907 , the United States Military Academy Detachment of Cavalry was changed to a " colored " unit . This had been a long time coming . It had been proposed in 1897 at the " Cavalry and Light Artillery School " at Fort Riley , Kansas that West Point cadets learn their riding skills from the black non - commissioned officers who were considered the best . The one hundred man detachment from the 9th Cavalry served to teach future officers at West Point riding instruction , mounted drill and cavalry tactics until 1947 . Second World War . The 9th Cavalry was relieved 10 October 1940 from its assignment to the 3d Cavalry Division and transferred to the 2nd Cavalry Division for deployment in the Second World War . However , the regiment did not serve in that war as a unit . It was transferred to the Mediterranean to supply soldiers for other units . It was therefore inactivated 7 March 1944 in North Africa . Vietnam War ( Air Cav ) . The then - experimental 1 - 9 Air Cav ushered in a new era of airborne combat called , air assault . These teams were composed of aero - weapons ( Reds ) , aero - scout ( Whites ) , and aero - rifle ( Blues ) . Together , ground and air reconnaissance teams patrolled the Vietnam countryside in search of the enemy . Once located , the infantry ( Blues ) would insert ( and extract ) via helicopter or foot to engage the enemy with support of their aero scouts and aero weapons . These teams earned the nickname of " Headhunters . " This concept did away with conventional front line warfare that was typical in prior land warfare . During the Vietnam war , the 1st of the 9th Cavalry earned 3 Presidential Unit citations and 5 Valorous Unit Citations . It was inactivated on 26 February 1973 and was one of the last conventional units to leave Vietnam . In 1971 , as the 1st Cavalry Division began redeployment to the United States , F Troop , 9th Cavalry was formed from one battalion each of 1 / 8 Cavalry , 2 / 5 Cavalry , 1 / 12 Cavalry , 1 / 7 Cavalry . This unit operated independent of the 1 / 9 Cavalry . On 1 February 1974 , Troop C , 9th Cavalry ( not 1 / 9 Cavalry ) was reactivated as an armored cavalry troop assigned to the US Army Reserve , assigned to the 157th Infantry Brigade ( Mechanized ) . Initially activated in Bristol , PA , on 31 January 1966 , it was later moved to Wilkes - Barre , PA . The troop continued to serve with the 157th Infantry Brigade ( Mech ) until deactivation on 20 August 1995 . Operation Just Cause ; Panama . The 2d Squadron , 9th Cavalry , assigned to the 7th Infantry ( Light ) , deployed to Panama in order to conduct combat operations during Operation Just Cause and the ensuing humanitarian and nation building mission Operation Promote Liberty . The Air Troops were the first to deploy with their AH - 1 Cobra attack helicopters and their OH - 59 aerial scout helicopters . Troop A , 2 - 9th Cavalry soon followed and conducted route clearance , zone reconnaissance , and provided support to U . S . Army units in the interior . Desert peacekeepers and beyond . The 1st Battalion , 9th Cavalry was reconstituted as infantry from the highly decorated Persian Gulf War unit ; 3 / 41 Infantry of the 2nd Armored Division in 1992 and assigned to the 3d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division . It served in combat as 3 / 41 Infantry of the Tiger Brigade in Operation Desert Storm . ( As a side note , the Third Brigade was led by then Colonel George Casey Jr . and the 1st Cavalry Division was led by future Democratic presidential candidate General Wesley Clark Sr . ) 1 - 9 Cavalry was a rapidly deployable infantry unit of action which was called on to deploy in defense of American interests abroad several times in the decade ; to thwart aggressive and hostile maneuvers of the Iraqi Army . Most notably in Operations Intrinsic Action and Iris Gold . 1 / 9 Cavalry was designated as the military operations in urban terrain ( MOUT ) unit of the 1st Cavalry Division . It specialized in urban combat tactics for the 1st Cavalry Division . Following is a brief rendition of significant events during this time period . 1993 : 1994 : 1995 : 1996 : 21st century . Today , the squadrons and troops of the 9th United States Cavalry Regiment provide RSTA ( reconnaissance , surveillance , and target acquisition ) capabilities forward of enemy lines and supply infantry scout - sniper and long range reconnaissance teams for use in the area of combat operations . These small Army reconnaissance units , and others like it , provide valuable real - time intelligence about an enemy nation , including its leaders , combat capabilities etc . Information gathered is fed back into various intelligence assets including the national target base as well as numerous others . Units like the 9th Cavalry have the flexibility of direct engagement and destruction of enemy personnel and equipment when the opportunity and need arises . The 9th United States Cavalry units fought against both the armed conventional and unconventional enemies in the decade - long " Global War on Terror " in both the Afghanistan and Iraq theaters . They developed and tested many new military doctrines and tactics when searching for , locating , observing and destroying the insurgent enemy and their war fighting assets , just as they had during the Indian , Spanish - American and Vietnam Wars . For their extraordinary bravery , courage and professionalism in combat , numerous Presidential and Valourous Unit Citations as well as decorations for individual valor have been awarded to the 9th United States Cavalry Regiment and her combat soldiers . Troop B . Troop B ( " Bloody Knife " ) , 9th Cavalry , 3rd Brigade , 4th Infantry Division , was deployed from Fort Carson , Colorado , to Iraq in April 2003 . After arriving at Camp Wolfe , Kuwait the unit moved to Camp New Jersey in Northern Kuwait . The lead elements of the Brigade Reconnaissance Troop ( BRT ) then crossed into Iraq , covering a distance of over 300 kilometers . This combat operation was the first for the 4th Infantry Division since Vietnam . The BRT has operated in Samarra East Airfield , Samarra , Ad Dawr , Tikrit East , Tuz Khurmat , Jalula , MEK , Daquq , Kirkuk , Taza Khormatu , Al Huwayjah , Ad Duluyah , At Tarmyia , Ad Dujayl , and Balad South . On 23 October 2003 , the soldiers of Troop B / 9th Cavalry were issued their combat patches ( e . g . , the authorization to wear the division patch on the right shoulder ) for conducting combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom . The troop consisted of two platoons of scouts and one platoon of COLT ( combat observation lasing Teams ) . The unit deployed under the command of CPT William Sachse and redeployed under the command of CPT Clinton Fuller . The Bloody Knife Troop became the quick reaction force for one of the largest logistics bases in Iraq while still conducting operations where ever the brigade needed them . The unit had several platoon leaders rotate in and out but maintained its platoon sergeants from start to finish during OIF 1 . 1st Platoon - SFC Olvera , 2nd Platoon - SFC Baird , and 3rd Platoon - SFC Noga . The Bloody Knife Troop was one of the last reconnaissance troops to fall directly under a brigade headquarters . 1st Squadron . The 1st Squadron , 9th Cavalry Regiment ( 1 - 9th Cav ) , is stationed at Fort Hood , Texas , as an armored reconnaissance squadron of the 4th Brigade Combat Team , 1st Cavalry Division . Originally part of the 3rd BCT at Fort Hood , the " 1st of the 9th " moved to Fort Bliss to fill the RSTA ( reconnaissance , surveillance , and target acquisition ) needs of the newly created 4th BCT in October 2005 . The unit is nicknamed the " Headhunters " . The unit was featured as the command of LTC Kilgore in the movie " Apocalypse Now " . The 1st Squadron , 9th Cavalry Regiment ( 1 - 9th Cav ) , began deployment to Iraq in September 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . Headquarters & Headquarters Troop ( HHT ) and Troop C , 1 - 9th Cav were assigned a National Guard infantry unit ( Company C , 1st Battalion , 153rd Infantry , AR NG ) , a combat engineer unit ( Company A , 8th Engineers ) , a support unit ( 215 ) and a civil support unit to comprise Task Force 1 - 9 ( TF HEADHUNTER ) . Companies A and B , 1 - 9th Cav , were assigned to other task forces in Iraq , notably Task Force All American ( TF - AA ) . During their first deployment , 124 Purple Heart medals were awarded to Task Force 1 - 9 soldiers , who operated in one of the most dangerous sections of Iraq , including Sadr City and Haifa St . In October 2006 , the 1st Squadron , 9th Cavalry Regiment , began its redeployment to Iraq from Fort Bliss , Texas , in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom , along with the rest of 4th Brigade Combat Team , 1st Cavalry Division , to work alongside units of the 25th Infantry Division to comprise Task Force Lightning . In March 2008 , 8th Squadron , 10th Cavalry of the 4th Infantry Division was reflagged as the 1st Squadron , 9th Cavalry , part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team , 1st Cavalry Division . In June 2008 , 1 - 9th Cav deployed to OIF 08 - 10 to CSC SCANIA and assumed responsibilities for MSR TAMPA and the cities of Hamza , Qasim , Hashimiyah , Ash Shumali and other smaller towns from 3rd Squadron , 73rd Cavalry of the 1st Brigade Combat Team , 82nd Airborne Division . In August 2008 , 1 - 9th Cav was given orders to build a forward operating base ( FOB ) along the Iranian border in order to interdict lethal accelerants from being smuggled . The base is known as FOB Hunter and is in the Maysan province which resides in the marsh lands of Iraq . 2nd Squadron . The 2nd Squadron , 9th Cavalry was created by expanding Troop B after their OIF I deployment . It was stationed at Fort Carson , Colorado and was the armored reconnaissance squadron for 3d Brigade , 4th Infantry Division . The squadron , nicknamed " Hunters , " deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom IV , serving in two provinces : first in Salah ad - Din near ad - Dawr , as an attachment to the 3rd Brigade , 101st Airborne Division , and then in Diyala with the rest of the 3rd Brigade , 4th Infantry Division , after handing over the base in ad - Dawr to the Iraqi Army . The 2nd Squadron was inactivated on 18 October 2007 , and reflagged as the 4th Squadron , 10th Cavalry Regiment ( 4 - 10th Cav ) . 4th Squadron . The 4th Squadron , 9th Cavalry , " Darkhorse " is stationed at Fort Hood , Texas and is the armored reconnaissance squadron for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team , 1st Cavalry Division . During Operation Iraqi Freedom 06 - 08 , the Darkhorse deployed with Black Jack to Baghdad , Iraq , where it secured the International Zone — the area of central Baghdad that is home to the U . S . Embassy , Iraqi Council of Representatives , and numerous other Iraqi and Coalition governmental offices . The squadron ’ s responsibilities were later expanded to conduct counterinsurgency operations throughout the Karkh District . In 2009 the squadron again deployed to Iraq , this time to Kirkuk Province for OIF 09 - 10 , where it was responsible for the security , stability , and reconstruction of the Daquq district and the Taza , Laylan , and Rashaad sub - districts . The squadron partnered with the 15th Iraqi Army Brigade and Iraqi police from each of its districts to conduct area security and stability operations for an operating environment of over 3 , 000 square kilometers . The squadron also helped to balance ethnic tensions through the training and equipping Iraqi security forces , improvement of essential services , and the support and promotion of the legitimate government . In 2011 the squadron deployed a third time to Iraq , in support of Operation New Dawn . 5th Squadron . The 5th Squadron , 9th Cavalry , was reconstituted at Schofield Barracks , Hawaii , with headquarters at Wheeler Army Airfield . Its motto is " We can , we will . " The unit consisted of one ground troop ( A ) and two air troops ( B & C ) . Each air troop consisted of a scout platoon , flying the OH - 58A + Kiowa , and a gun platoon , flying the AH - 1 Cobra . The squadron also had two UH - 1 Hueys . 5th Battalion , 9th Cavalry Regiment re - flagged to become 3rd Squadron , 4th Cavalry Regiment in 1996 . 6th Squadron . The 6th Squadron , 9th Cavalry , is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team , 1st Cavalry Division , and is stationed at Fort Hood , Texas . 6th Squadron was built from Troop F , 3rd Brigade ' s Recon Troop for OIF II . The unit is nicknamed the " Saber Squadron . " Coincidentally , the unit replaced the 2nd Squadron in Diyala when it deployed in October 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06 - 08 , from which the last of the unit ' s soldiers returned on 18 December 2007 . The squadron is currently preparing for its third deployment to Iraq as of 17 December 2010 . 6 / 9 Cav was one of the very last units to have left Iraq along with the 3rd Brigade 1st Cavalry Division . As they crossed the border into Kuwait , the 8 . 5 year long war in Iraq ended . Notable members . The 9th Cavalry Regiment boasts many notable members including :