1st Cavalry Division ( United States ) The 1st Cavalry Division ( " First Team " ) is one of the most decorated combat divisions of the United States Army . It is based at Fort Hood , Texas . It was formed in 1921 and served during World War II , Korea , Vietnam , the Persian Gulf War , with the Stabilization Force in Bosnia - Herzegovina , in the Iraq War , and in the War in Afghanistan ( 2001 - present ) . As of 2013 , the 1st Cavalry Division is subordinate to III Corps and is commanded by Major General Anthony R . Ierardi . History . The history of the 1st Cavalry Division began in 1921 after the army established a permanent cavalry division table of organization and equipment on 4 April 1921 . It authorized a square division organization of 7 , 463 officers and men , organized as follows : On 20 August 1921 , the War Department Adjutant General constituted the 1st and 2d Cavalry Divisions to meet partial mobilization requirements , and authorized the establishment of the 1st Cavalry Division under the new TO & E on 31 August 1921 . Since 1st Cavalry Division was to assemble from existing units , it was able to go active in September 1921 , even though the subordinate units did not arrive completely until as late as 1922 . 1st Cavalry Division was assigned to the VIII Corps Area , with its division headquarters and 2d Brigade located at Fort Bliss , Texas , and the 1st Brigade at Douglas , Arizona . The headquarters facilities used by 1st Cavalry Division were those previously vacated by 8th United States Brigade when it was commanded by MG John J . Pershing in 1916 , and the wartime 15th Cavalry Division , which had existed at Fort Bliss between 10 December 1917 and 12 May 1918 . The 1st Cavalry Division ’ s assembled at Douglas , Arizona . The 1st , 7th , and 8th Cavalry Regiment s had previously been assigned to the wartime 15th Cavalry Division until they were returned to the VIII Corps Area troop list on 12 May 1918 . 1st Cavalry Regiment remained assigned until it was transferred to 1st Cavalry Division on 20 August 1921 . The 7th , 8th , and 10th Cavalry Regiments were transferred on 13 September 1921 , although the assignment of the 10th Cavalry Regiment to the 1st Cavalry Division was controversial because the transfer violated the Jim Crow laws . This controversy continued until 18 December 1922 , when the 5th Cavalry Regiment , then on the VIII Corps Area Troop List , swapped places with the 10th Cavalry Regiment . The 1st Cavalry Division illustrated all of the aspects of the army ' s dilemma between realism and idealism . In 1923 the 1st Cavalry Division held division maneuvers for the first time , intending to hold them annually thereafter . However , financial constraints made that impossible . Only in 1927 , through the generosity of a few ranchers who provided free land , was the division able to conduct such exercises again . In 1928 Major General Herbert B . Crosby , Chief of Cavalry , faced with personnel cuts , reorganized the cavalry regiments , which in turn reduced the size of the 1st Cavalry Division . Crosby ' s goal was to decrease overhead while maintaining or increasing firepower in the regiment . After the reorganization each cavalry regiment consisted of a headquarters and headquarters troop ; a machine gun troop ; a medical and chaplain element ; and two squadrons , each with a headquarters element ; and two line troops . The cavalry brigades ' machine gun squadrons were inactivated , while the responsibility for training and employing machine guns fell to the regimental commanders , as in the infantry . About the same time that Crosby cut the cavalry regiment , the army staff , seeking to increase the usefulness of the wartime cavalry division , published new tables of organization for an even larger unit . The new structure increased the size of the signal troop ( 177 ) , expanded the medical unit to a squadron ( 233 ) , and endorsing Crosby ' s movement of the machine gun units from the brigades to the regiments ( 2X176 ) . A divisional aviation section , an armored car squadron ( 278 ) , and tank company ( 155 ) were added , the field artillery battalion was expanded to a regiment ( 1 , 717 ) , and divisional strength rose to 9 , 595 . Prelude to World War II . With the arrival of the 1930s , serious work started on the testing and refining of new equipment and TO & Es for a mechanized and motorized army . To facilitate this , 1st Cavalry Division traded 1st Cavalry Regiment for 12th Cavalry Regiment on 3 January 1933 . Taking into account recommendations from the VIII Corps Area , the Army War College , and the Command and General Staff School , the board developed a new smaller triangular cavalry division , which the 1st Cavalry Division evaluated during maneuvers at Toyahvale , Texas , in 1938 . Like the 1937 infantry division test , the maneuvers concentrated on the divisional cavalry regiments around which all other units were to be organized . Following the test , a board of 1st Cavalry Division officers , headed by Brigadier General Kenyon A . Joyce , rejected the three - regiment division and recommended retention of the two - brigade ( four - regiment ) organization . The latter configuration allowed the division to deploy easily in two columns , which was accepted standard cavalry tactics . However , the board advocated reorganizing the cavalry regiment along triangular lines , which would give it a headquarters and headquarters troop , a machine gun squadron with special weapons and machine gun troops , and three rifle squadrons , each with one machine gun and three rifle troops . No significant change was made in the field artillery , but the test showed that the engineer element should remain a squadron to provide the divisional elements greater mobility on the battlefield and that the special troops idea should be extended to include the division headquarters , signal , and ordnance troops ; quartermaster , medical , engineer , reconnaissance , and observation squadrons ; and a chemical warfare detachment . One headquarters would assume responsibility for the administration and disciplinary control for these forces . Although the study did not lead to a general reorganization of the cavalry division , the wartime cavalry regiment was restructured , effective 1 December 1938 , to consist of a headquarters and headquarters troop , machine gun and special weapons troops , and three squadrons of three rifle troops each . The special troops remained as structured in 1928 , and no observation squadron or chemical detachment found a place in the division . With the paper changes in the cavalry divisions and other minor adjustments , the strength of a wartime divisional rose to 10 , 680 . In order to prepare for war service , 1st Cavalry Division participated in the following maneuvers : World War II . With the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 , the “ great laboratory ” phase for developing and testing organizations , about which Marshall wrote in the summer of 1941 , closed , but the War Department still had not developed ideal infantry , cavalry , armored , and motorized divisions . In 1942 it again revised the divisions based on experiences gained during the great GHQ maneuvers of the previous year . As in the past , the reorganizations ranged from minor adjustments to wholesale changes . 1st Cavalry Division retained its square configuration after the 1941 maneuvers , but with modifications . The division lost its antitank troop , the brigades their weapons troops , and the regiments their machine gun and special weapons troops . These changes brought no decrease in divisional firepower , but placed most weapons within the cavalry troops . The number of . 50 - caliber machine guns was increased almost threefold . In the reconnaissance squadron , the motorcycle and armored car troops were eliminated , leaving the squadron with one support troop and three reconnaissance troops equipped with light tanks . These changes increased the division from 11 , 676 to 12 , 112 officers and enlisted men . The last of the 1st Cavalry Division ' s mounted units permanently retired their horses and converted to infantry formations on 28 February 1943 . However , a mounted Special Ceremonial Unit known as the Horse Platoon – later , the Horse Cavalry Detachment – was established within the division in January 1972 . Its ongoing purpose is to represent the traditions and heritage of the American horse cavalry at military ceremonies and public events . The division shipped out equipped as an " augmented light infantry Division . " 1st Cavalry Division reported for its Port Call at Camp Stoneman , CA as follows : The 1st Cavalry Division arrived in Australia as shown above , continued its training at Strathpine , Queensland , until 26 July , then moved to New Guinea to stage for the Admiralties campaign 22 – 27 February 1944 . The division experienced its first combat in the Admiralty Islands , units landing at Los Negros on 29 February 1944 . Momote airstrip was secured against great odds . Attacks by fanatical Japanese were thrown back , and the enemy force surrounded by the end of March . Nearby islands were taken in April and May . The division next took part in the invasion of Leyte , 20 October 1944 , captured Tacloban and the adjacent airstrip , advanced along the north coast , and secured Leyte Valley , elements landing on and securing Samar Island . Moving down Ormoc Valley ( in Leyte ) and across the Ormoc plain , the division reached the west coast of Leyte 1 January 1945 . The division then invaded Luzon , landing in the Lingayen Gulf area 27 January 1945 , and fought its way as a " flying column " to Manila by 3 February 1945 . More than 3 , 000 civilian prisoners at the University of Santo Tomas , including more than 60 US Army nurses ( some of the " Angels of Bataan and Corregidor " ) were liberated , and the 1st Cavalry then advanced east of Manila by the middle of February before the city was cleared . On 20 February the division was assigned the mission of seizing and securing crossings over the Marikina River and securing the Tagaytay - Antipolo Line . After being relieved 12 March in the Antipolo area , elements pushed south into Batangas and provinces of Bicol Region and aiding Filipino forces under the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary together with the recognized guerrillas . They mopped up remaining pockets of resistance in these areas in small unit actions . Resistance was officially declared at an end 1 July 1945 . The division left Luzon 25 August 1945 for occupation duty in Japan , arriving in Yokohama 2 September 1945 and entering Tokyo 8 September , the first United States division to enter the Japanese capital . 101 unit was set up in May 1945 to search for the missing soldiers in the Second World War II . The detachment consisted of 17 people . 3 of them commanders . Captain MacColeman , Lieutenant Foley and Sergeant Ryan . The operation was successful . Though spent 3 years . Occupation duty in Japan followed for the next five years . Korean War . In the summer of 1950 , North Korea attacked South Korea , and the 1st Cavalry Division was rushed to Korea to help shore up the Pusan Perimeter . After the X Corps attack at Incheon , a breakout operation was launched at the Pusan Perimeter . The 1st Cavalry Division remained in the line until it was relieved by the 45th Infantry Division from the United States Army National Guard in January 1952 . Following the relief , the division returned to Japan . The division returned to Korea in 1957 , where it remained until 1965 . During the Korean War , there were disparaging rumors about the 1st Cavalry Division ' s fighting abilities , including a folk song of the time called " The Bug - Out Ballad " . The series of engagements that are rumored to have given rise to the song were due ( at least partly ) to the myth that the division lost its unit colors . Other Army and Marine units disparagingly described the division shoulder insignia as representing ' The horse they never rode , the river they never crossed , and the yellow speaks for itself ' . Another version goes : " The shield they never carried , the horse they never rode , the bridge they never crossed , the line they never held , and the yellow is the reason why . " The incident that apparently gave rise to this rumor appears to be the Battle of Unsan , which took place on November 1 – 2 , 1950 at Unsan , Korea . In that battle , the 8th Cavalry regiment , a component of the 1st Cavalry Division , was pushed back from positions in and around the town of Unsan by superior Chinese forces . The regiment was severely battered , experienced heavy casualties , and lost a considerable amount of equipment . This was one of the first major Chinese operations in the Korean War and , like the Changjin ( Chosin ) Reservoir Battle of this same period , it took the United Nations Command by surprise . On 28 October 1950 , Gen . Walker relieved the 1st Cavalry Division of its security mission in P ’ yongyang . The division ’ s new orders were to pass through the ROK 1st Division ’ s lines at Unsan and attack toward the Yalu River . Leading the way on the twenty - ninth , the 8th Cavalry regiment departed P ’ yongyang and reached Yongsan - dong that evening . The 5th Cavalry regiment arrived the next morning , with the mission to protect the 8th Cavalry regiment ' s rear . With the arrival of the 8th Cavalry Regiment at Unsan on the 31st , the ROK 1st Division redeployed to positions northeast , east , and southeast of Unsan ; the 8th Cavalry took up positions north , west , and south of the town . Meanwhile , the ROK 15th Regiment was desperately trying to hold its position east of the 8th Cavalry , across the Samt ’ an River . During the afternoon of 1 November , the Chinese force ’ s attack north of Unsan gained strength against the ROK 15th Regiment and gradually extended to the right flank of the 1st Battalion , 8th Cavalry . At nightfall , the 1st Battalion controlled the northern approaches to the Samt ’ an River , except for portions of the ROK 15th Regiment ’ s zone on the east side . The battalion ’ s position on the left was weak ; there were not enough soldiers to extend the defensive line to the main ridge leading into Unsan . This left a gap between the 1st and 2d Battalions . East of the Samt ’ an the ROK 15th Regiment was under heavy attack , and shortly after midnight it no longer existed as a combat force . The ordeal of the 8th Cavalry now began . At 19 : 30 hours on 1 November , the Chinese attacked the 1st Battalion , 8th Cavalry , all along its line . At 21 : 00 hours Chinese troops found the weak link in the ridgeline and began moving through it and down the ridge behind the 2d Battalion , penetrating its right flank and encircling its left . Now both the 1st and 2d Battalions were engaged by the enemy on several sides . Around midnight , the 8th Cavalry received orders to withdraw southward to Ipsok . As of 01 : 30 hours on 2 November , no enemy activity was reported in the 3d Battalion ’ s sector south of Unsan . But as the 8th Cavalry withdrew , all three battalions became trapped by Chinese roadblocks south of Unsan during the early morning hours . Members of the 1st Battalion who were able to escape reached the Ipsok area . A head count showed the battalion had lost about 15 officers and 250 enlisted men . Members of the 2nd Battalion , for the most part , scattered into the hills . Many of them reached the ROK lines near Ipsok . Others met up with the 3rd Battalion , the hardest hit . Around 03 : 00 hours , the Chinese launched a surprise attack on the battalion command post . Hand - to - hand fighting ensued for about half an hour before the enemy was driven from the area . The disorganized members of the 3rd Battalion formed a core of resistance around three tanks on the valley floor and held off the enemy until daylight . By that time , only six officers and 200 enlisted men were still able to function . More than 170 were wounded , and the number dead or missing were uncounted . Attempts by the 5th Cavalry to relieve the beleaguered battalion were unsuccessful , and the 3rd Battalion , 8th Cavalry , soon ceased to exist as an organized force . The enemy force that brought tragedy to the 8th Cavalry at Unsan was the Chinese 116th Division . Elements of the 116th ’ s 347th Regiment were responsible for the roadblock south of Unsan . Also engaged in the Unsan action was the Chinese 115th Division . Vietnam ( 1st Air Cav ) . The 1st Cavalry Division next fought in the Vietnam War . No longer a conventional infantry unit , the division had become an air assault division as the 1st Cavalry Division ( Airmobile ) , commonly referred to as the 1st Air Cavalry Division . The use of helicopters on such large scale as troop carriers , cargo lift ships , MedEvacs , and as aerial rocket artillery , was never before implemented , but by doing so it freed the infantry from the tyranny of terrain to attack the enemy at the time and place of their choosing . In 1965 , colors and subordinate unit designations of the 1st Cavalry Division were transferred from Korea to Fort Benning , Georgia , where they were used to reflag the existing the 11th Air Assault Division ( Test ) into 1st Cavalry Division ( Airmobile ) . Concurrently , the colors and subordinate unit designations were transferred to Korea to reflag what had been the 1st Cavalry Division into the 2nd Infantry Division . Shortly thereafter , the 1st Cavalry Division ( Airmobile ) began deploying to Camp Radcliffe , An Khe , Vietnam , in the Central Highlands and was equipped with the new M16 rifle , the UH - 1 troop carrier helicopter , the AH - 1 attack helicopter , the CH - 47 Chinook cargo helicopter , and the massive CH - 54 Skycrane cargo helicopter . All aircraft carried insignia to indicate their battalion and company . The division ' s first major operation was the Pleiku Campaign . The opening battle , the Battle of Ia Drang Valley , described in the book " We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young " , was also the basis of the film " We Were Soldiers " . Because of that battle the division earned the Presidential Unit Citation ( US ) , the first unit to receive such in the war . 1967 was then spent conducting Operation Pershing , a large scale search and destroy operation of enemy base areas in II Corps in which 5 , 400 enemy soldiers were killed and 2 , 000 captured . In Operation Jeb Stuart , January 1968 , the division moved north to Camp Evans , north of Hue and on to LZ Sharon and LZ Betty , south of Quang Tri City , all in the I Corps Tactical Zone . In the early morning hours of January 31 , 1968 , the largest battle of the Vietnam War , the Tet Offensive , was launched by 84 , 000 enemy soldiers across South Vietnam . In the 1st Cavalry Division ' s area of operation , the North Vietnamese Army ( NVA ) and Vietcong forces struck the Marines at Hue , south of Camp Evans . As the 3rd Brigade , 1st Cavalry Division , fought to cut off enemy reinforcements pouring into Hue , at Quang Tri City , five enemy battalions , most from the 324th NVA Division , attacked the city and LZ Betty ( Headquarters 1st Brigade ) . To stop allied troops from intervening , three other enemy infantry battalions deployed as blocking forces , all supported by a 122mm - rocket battalion and two heavy - weapons companies armed with 82mm mortars and 75mm recoilless rifles . After intense fighting , 900 NVA and Vietcong soldiers were killed in and around Quang Tri City and LZ Betty . However , across South Vietnam , 1 , 000 Americans , 2 , 100 ARVNs , 14 , 000 civilians , and 32 , 000 NVA and Vietcong lay dead . In March 1968 the 1st Cavalry Division shifted forces to LZ Stud , the staging area for ( Operation Pegasus ) to break the siege of the Marine combat base at Khe Sanh - - - the second largest battle of the war . All three brigades participated in this vast airmobile operation , along with a Marine armor thrust . B - 52s alone dropped more than 75 , 000 tons of bombs on North Vietnamese soldiers from the 304th and 325th Divisions encroaching the combat base in trenches . As these two elite enemy divisions , with history at Dien Bien Phu and the Ia Drang Valley , depleted , the 1st Cavalry Division leapfrogged west , clearing Route 9 , until at 0 : 800 hours April 8 , the 2nd Battalion , 7th Cavalry , linked - up with Marines at the combat base , ending the 77 - day siege . On April 19 , 1968 , as the 2nd Brigade continued pushing west to the Laotian border , the 1st and 3rd Brigades ( about 11 , 000 men and 300 helicopters ) swung southwest and air assaulted A Shau Valley , commencing Operation Delaware . The North Vietnamese Army was a very well - trained , equipped , and led force . And they considered A Shau their turf , turning it into the most formidable enemy sanctuary in South Vietnam - - - complete with PT76 tanks ; powerful crew - served 37mm antiaircraft cannons , some radar controlled ; twin - barreled 23mm cannons ; and scores of 12 . 7mm heavy machine guns . Since satellite communications were a thing of the future , one of the most daring long - range penetration operations of the war was launched by members of the 1st Air Cavalry Division ' s , long - range reconnaissance patrol , against the North Vietnamese Army when they seized " Signal Hill " the name attributed to the peak of Dong Re Lao Mountain , a densely forested 4 , 879 - foot mountain , midway in the valley , so the 1st and 3rd Brigades , slugging it out hidden deep behind the towering wall of mountains , could communicate with Camp Evans near the coast or with approaching aircraft . Despite hundreds of B - 52 and jet air strikes in Operation Delaware , the enemy shot down a C - 130 , a CH - 54 , two Chinook s , and nearly two dozen UH - 1 Huey s . Many more were lost in accidents or damaged by ground fire . The division also suffered more than 100 dead and 530 wounded in the operation . Bad weather aggravated the loss by causing delays in troop movements , allowing a substantial number of NVA to escape to safety in Laos . Still , the NVA lost more than 800 dead , a tank , 70 trucks , two bulldozers , 30 flamethrowers , thousands of rifles and machine guns , and dozens of antiaircraft cannons . They also lost tons of ammunition , explosives , medical supplies and foodstuffs . In mid - May 1968 Operation Delaware ceased , however , the division continued tactical operations in I Corps as well as local pacification and " MedCap " ( medical outreach programs to local Vietnamese ) . In the autumn of 1968 , the 1st Cavalry Division relocated south to the III Corps Tactical Zone northwest of Saigon , adjacent to Cambodia in a region commonly referred to as the " Parrots Beak " due to its shape . In May 1970 , the 1st Cavalry Division participated in the Cambodian Incursion , withdrawing from Cambodia on 29 June . Thereafter , the division took a defensive posture while US troops withdrawals continued from Vietnam . On 29 April 1971 the bulk of the division was withdrawn to Fort Hood , Texas , but its 3rd Brigade remained as one of the final two major US ground combat units in Vietnam , departing 29 June 1972 . However , its 1st Battalion , 7th Cavalry , Task Force Garry Owen , remained another two months . The First Cavalry Division suffered more casualties than any other division during the Vietnam War . Marine Corps deaths are available only in aggregate , not by unit . Cold War service . In the aftermath of Vietnam , the 1st Cavalry Division was converted from the air - mobile light infantry role into a triple capabilities ( TRICAP ) division . The unit received an infusion of mechanized infantry and artillery , to make it capable of missions needing three types of troops ; armored , air - mobility , and air cavalry . However , the TRICAP concept was short - lived , and by 1975 , the division was equipped as a two - brigade armored division with its third brigade provided by the Mississippi Army National Guard ' s 155th Armored Brigade from 1984 – 1991 . The division participated in numerous REFORGER exercises , and was used to test new doctrinal concepts and equipment , including the XM - 1 tank . The unit assignment and structure changed significantly , notably when 1st Battalion , 9th Cavalry Regiment , the division ' s most famous unit , was disbanded . The 13th Signal Battalion fielded Mobile Subscriber Equipment ( MSE ) , a secure digital communications system for corps and below units . Middle East in the 1990s . The 1st Cavalry next fought as a heavy division , during Operation Desert Storm in January and February 1991 . The 1st Cavalry Division deployed in October 1990 as part of VII Corps . The division ' s ' round - out ' formation , the 155th Armored Brigade was not deployed in a surprise political decision . It was planned to augment the division by attaching the Tiger Brigade from the 2nd Armored Division , but that brigade was attached to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force ( 1st & 2nd Marine Divisions ) to add heavy armor support to that force . Consequently , the 1st Cavalry Division was assigned the role of the VII Corps ' reserve for much of the ground war , but was crucial in the movement of ground forces to the Kuwaiti and west Saudi Arabian theaters by making two assaults into Iraqi held territory with the division ' s Black Jack Brigade moving north drawing Iraqi divisions out of Kuwait to support the Iraqi units defending in Iraq . This movement was led by the 1st Battalion , 5th Cavalry , from the Wadi Al - Batien to just north of Basra through several Iraqi Divisions before stopping . The assault by M - 1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks , M - 2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles , and other support vehicles moved much faster than was thought possible , catching the Iraqi Army totally off guard . The 13th Signal Battalion was the first unit in the U . S . Army to deploy Mobile Subscriber Equipment ( MSE ) into combat . Installing , operating , and maintaining communications equipment to support a vast communications network spanning over 280 kilometers , the 13th Signal Battalion again met the challenge of providing the division ' s communications . After the division returned from Kuwait , the 1st " Tiger " Brigade , 2nd Armored Division was redesignated as the 3rd Brigade , 1st Cavalry Division . In response to the continued hostile movements by the Iraqi Armed Forces after Desert Storm , the U . S . Department of Defense ordered successive Operation Intrinsic Action deployments by combat brigades and special forces units to the Iraq / Kuwait border . The 1st Cavalry ' s three brigades contributed heavily to the decade - long deployments from 1992 - 2002 . Bosnia - Herzegovina 1998 - 99 . The 1st Cavalry Division took control of the U . S . peacekeeping contingent in Bosnia - Herzegovina with approximately 6 , 900 personnel on June 20 , 1998 , as part of the multinational Stabilization Force ( SFOR ) . 1st Brigade served for Rotation SFOR 4 . 2nd Brigade served for Rotation SFOR 5 . 2nd Brigade was alerted for action during the Russia n move from Bosnia to the Pristina International Airport in June 1999 , but no action was ultimately taken after consultation at the highest levels in NATO . In August 1999 , the 10th Mountain Division took over operations in the Tuzla / Multinational Division North area . Elements of the division arrived in Washington DC shortly after the September 11 , 2001 terrorist attacks . Operation Iraqi Freedom . In October 2001 an advance party of a division brigade combat team was deployed to the Iraq / Kuwait border . Some divisional units participated in the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq . The division in its entirety deployed to Iraq in January 2004 , sending an initial detachment of the 9th Cavalry Regiment into combat in September 2003 . The 1st Cavalry relieved the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad . Among its subordinate formations , it included Louisiana ' s 256th Infantry Brigade , Arkansas ' 39th Infantry Brigade , element of the A company 28th Signal , elements of Washington ' s 81st Armored Brigade and the 2nd Battalion , 162nd Infantry ( Oregon Army National Guard ) during that rotation . After spending more than a year in Iraq , it redeployed back to the US by April , 2005 . It was relieved by the 3rd Infantry Division . Division Artillery ( DIVARTY ) was organized as the 5th BCT . It contained HHB , DIVARTY ; 1 – 7 CAV ; 1 – 8 CAV ; 1 – 21 FA ; and the 515th FSB ( Provisional ) . The Division fought in many key battles against insurgents , including the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004 , where the 2nd Brigade Combat Team engaged in fierce house to house intense urban combat to root out enemy cells waiting in the city . During its OIF2 deployment division assigned and attached personnel numbered approximately 40 , 000 . 168 personnel were killed in action , with approximately 1 , 500 wounded . The division assumed duties as Headquarters , Multi - National Division – Baghdad from November 2006 to December 2007 . 4th Brigade Combat Team , activated in 2005 , arrived in Ninawa Governorate in October and November 2006 . However , 2 – 12 Cavalry was detached , deployed to Baghdad to augment the division efforts there . The division assumed duties as the Headquarters , Multi - National Division – Baghdad Jan 2009 – Jan 2010 . The deployment was extended by 23 days past the one year mark . Operation Enduring Freedom . On 12 / 15 / 2001 , elements of the 1st Cavalry Division deployed to Bagram Airfield , Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom . The division headquarters deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and assumed command of Regional Command - East in May 2011 replacing the 101st Airborne Division . The 1st Infantry Division HQ took command of RC - East on 19 April 2012 . The 1st Air Cavalry is currently providing aerial operation in Afghanistan as part of their year - long deployment . They will soon be replaced by the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade . Structure . On 15 July 2005 , the 1st Cavalry Division transitioned to the Unit of Action modified table of organization and equipment ( MTOE ) . No longer are battalion - sized elements made up purely of armor and / or infantry battalions . Brigades are now composed of combined arms battalions ( CAB ) , meaning every maneuver battalion combines infantry , armor and a supporting element , excluding the brigade reconnaissance squadrons . The division is supported by the 4th Sustainment Brigade at Fort Hood . Distinctive unit insignia . Description : A metal and enameled device , 1 inch in height overall , consisting of a gold - colored Norman shield with a black horse ' s head couped in sinister chief , and a black bend charged with two five - pointed stars . Properly : Or , on a bend sable two stars of five points Or , in chief sinister a sable couped horse head , a border vert Symbolism : The device is a miniature reproduction of the 1st Cavalry Division ' s shoulder sleeve insignia with the addition of two five - pointed stars . The Division Commander and the Division Staff wore the distinctive insignia design from 1922 to 1934 as a shoulder sleeve insignia . Background : The distinctive unit insignia was approved 25 August 1965 . The Flag of the 1st Cavalry Division is a white field with the distinctive yellow triangular Norman shield with rounded corners , a black diagonal stripe extending over the shield from upper left to lower right and in the upper right a silhouetted horse ' s head cut off diagonally at the neck with a green border . Here is a link to a source showing the flag and description .