History of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment
- Jim Broumley
- Jan 9
- 8 min read
The 2nd Cavalry can trace its lineage back to the early part of the 19th century. They’ve been named Dragoons, Armored Cavalry, and Stryker Cavalry. Despite the name changes, the Regiment has the distinction of being the longest continuously serving mounted unit in the United States Army. This is a summary History of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment
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The 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s shoulder patch features a yellow eight-pointed star, which is the historic insignia worn by U.S. Army Dragoons. On top of the star is a scalloped green circle that simulates a palmetto leaf, commemorating the regiment’s first combat action against the Seminole Indians in Florida. Superimposed on the palmetto leaf is a silver white fleur-de-lis, which represents the regiment’s combat service in France during both World Wars. In a banner on the bottom of the patch is the regimental motto, “Toujours Prêt,” French for “Always Ready.”
The 2nd Regiment of Dragoons was constituted on May 23, 1836, to fight in the Seminole Indian Campaigns in Florida. The Dragoon was basically a mounted infantryman. That type of unit was considered to be the most capable in defeating the agile and elusive Seminole. From these campaigns, the Regiment earned its first Battle Streamer. The Second Dragoons then served on the Texas frontier, guarding the western expansion of the nation. The regiment fought in the Mexican-American War in 1846 and on the frontier during the early Indian Wars. In 1857, they took part in the Mormon War in Utah.
When the Civil War began in the spring of 1861, the 2nd Dragoons made the long trek across the United States to join Federal Forces around Washington, D.C. Elements of the unit arrived in time to participate in the First Battle of Bull Run. The 2nd Dragoons, like all mounted units, were reorganized and became the 2nd U.S. Cavalry on August 3, 1861. The Second Cavalry served in almost every major battle and campaign that the Federal Army of the Potomac participated in. The Regiment earned 14 Battle Streamers during the Civil War, and three 2nd Cavalry Troopers were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
After the Civil War, the 2nd Cavalry returned to the West. Through 1890, the Regiment participated in the Indian Wars. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment was scattered across the frontier, where they were called upon to keep the peace, explore the vast unknown lands of new territory, establish forts, and develop road systems and telegraph lines. The 2nd U.S. Regiment of Cavalry added eleven additional Battle Streamers from the Indian Wars to their Colors. Fifteen more troopers of the 2nd Cavalry received the Medal of Honor during this period.
In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, the 2nd Cavalry deployed to Cuba, joining Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders in the fighting at El Caney, San Juan Hill, Aquadores, and Santiago. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment stayed in Cuba on occupation duty until 1903. From 1903 to 1906 and again from 1910 to 1912, the Regiment served in the Philippine Islands. There, they conducted operations against the Moro Natives and the insurrection against the established Philippine government. Upon returning from the Philippines, the 2nd Cavalry was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, to conduct border security during the turbulent years of the Mexican Revolution.
World War I was another era during which the 2nd Cavalry Regiment distinguished itself. By 1917, the Regiment, based at Fort Ethan Allan, Vermont, and Fort Myers, Virginia, was training additional cavalry units for the coming war. Based on its reputation and history, General Pershing called on the Regiment to serve in the American Expeditionary Force, and in 1917, the Regiment deployed to Europe as the only American horse-mounted Cavalry unit to fight in WWI. The Regiment served throughout the American sector, conducting cavalry operations and was used as an exploitation force in several combat operations, working as Dragoons, dismounting to hold key terrain. The Regiment showed that horse-mounted cavalry units still had value on the modern battlefield of the First World War. Three new campaign streamers were added to the Regiment’s colors. The Second Cavalry remained with the Army of Occupation in Koblenz, Germany, until August 1919.
During the interwar years, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. There, the Regiment performed peacetime duties as the Cavalry School Training Regiment from 1919 to 1939. At Fort Riley, the Regiment experimented with the first armored cars, and in 1936, as more money became available for training, it participated in the first armored and cavalry maneuvers. When the United States entered World War II on December 7, 1941, the 2nd U.S. Cavalry Regiment was deeply involved in training cavalry troopers in mechanized operations at Fort Riley. Adjustments were made within the existing Cavalry Regiments to help create new armored units that were needed to fight in Europe. After the restructuring, in January 1943, the Regiment was redesignated as the 2nd Cavalry Group (Mechanized).
During World War II, the Regiment, under the new designation of "2nd Cavalry Group," landed in France on July 19, 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, appearing, seemingly at will, behind German lines. The Regiment made the deepest penetration of the war, heading east into Czechoslovakia before linking up with Soviet forces heading west. The Regiment also conducted a celebrated raid behind Soviet lines to rescue the famous Lipizzaner Stallions.
At the end of the war, units in the group that held the lineage of the Second Dragoons were redesignated as the 2nd U.S. Constabulary Regiment. Their mission was to first serve as occupation forces, then as surveillance and security along the Iron Curtain of East Germany and Czechoslovakia. The Regiment remained in Germany for the next 47 years. The 2nd Constabulary Regiment was reorganized and redesignated the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1948. The 2nd ACR served along the East German and Czechoslovakian geopolitical borders for the remainder of the Cold War, until 1992. Throughout this period, the Dragoons fielded newer weapons, tanks, and equipment while serving on the forward edge of freedom's frontier.
When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment was a fully trained, combined arms combat unit, equipped with M1A1 Abrams Tanks and M-2 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicles. While the Regiment's peacetime mission had been defense and deterrence along the border, their wartime mission was to be the covering force for the U.S. VII Corps. In November of 1990, the 2nd ACR deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield, later to become Operation Desert Storm, where they would spearhead the VII Corps' attack. On February 26, 1991, the Regiment was heavily involved in blocking the Iraqi counterattack into Kuwait by seven of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard Divisions. At a desolate spot deep in the eastern Iraqi desert, the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment engaged the Tawakalna Division. This engagement became known as the "Battle of 73 Easting." The outcome of this battle was the destruction of the Iraqi armored force, which earned the Regiment the Army's Valorous Unit Award. The actions against the Iraqi Divisions have become instructional examples of modern high-intensity armored warfare.
Returning from the Persian Gulf War, the Regiment was relocated from Germany to Fort Lewis, Washington, after 49 years of continuous overseas service. The Regiment's ground squadrons were converted into a light cavalry unit consisting of Scout Humvees mounted with TOW missile launchers, MK-19 grenade launchers, .50 caliber machine guns, and squad automatic weapons (SAW). The 2nd ACR (Light) was then sent to Ft Polk, LA, in 1992. The 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light) became the "Corps Cavalry" or the eyes and ears of the XVIII Airborne Corps. At Fort Polk, the 4th Squadron (Regimental Aviation Squadron) was added to the new Regiment's organization. The addition of the 4/2 ACR (Air Cav), with their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters and UH-60 helicopters, completed the Regiment's re-organization into a Light Cavalry Regiment.
The Regiment next deployed in support of Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti from 1995 to 1996. In 1997, the 2nd ACR was deployed to Bosnia to serve as part of NATO's Stabilization Force, or SFOR, in support of Operation Joint Guard for peacekeeping operations in that country.
After returning from Bosnia, the Regiment returned to Fort Polk, Louisiana. In 2002, elements of the Regiment were deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as part of the Global War on Terrorism. Soon, the unit deployed again to the Gulf, this time for Operation Iraqi Freedom. On April 3, 2003, with only 96 hours' notice, the Regiment deployed the Second Squadron and Oscar Troop (Air Cavalry) to protect the V Corps lines of communication during major combat operations against the Iraqi Army. By May of 2003, the entire Regiment was deployed and served in the Baghdad Area of Operations. Upon the Sadr Uprising of April 2004, the Regiment's tour in combat was extended. The 2nd ACR fought urban battles in Sadr City, Diwaniya, Al Kut, Kufa, and An Najaf. The Regiment remained for a total of 16 months and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation.
In March of 2005, the 2nd ACR was moved to Fort Lewis, Washington. In April, the Regiment was redesignated the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and began reorganizing into the Army's newest Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The Regiment was returning to its original mission as Dragoons, or mounted infantry. In June 2006, the 2nd Cavalry was re-flagged as the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. Since September 15, 2006, the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment has been home-based at Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany, near the Regiment's Cold War home of Nuremberg. With a foundation of infantry-based tactics and the mobility of the Stryker vehicle, the Stryker brigade became more of a hybrid unit, filling the gap between light infantry and the mechanized, heavy infantry.
On August 3, 2007, a farewell ceremony was held in Vilseck as the 2nd SCR prepared to deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom once again. The Regiment deployed to the Baghdad area as part of President George W. Bush’s “surge campaign.” After a fifteen-month deployment, the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment was back in Vilseck in November 2008. During this deployment, the Regiment lost 29 soldiers killed, 250 injured, and 70 vehicles damaged. They confirmed over 100 enemy combatants killed and captured 1,100 more. Thousands of IEDs, weapons, and other enemy materiel items were either captured or destroyed.
In July 2010, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment left Germany to deploy to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The regiment’s 1st Squadron operated in Uruzgan Province alongside Australia’s own 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The rest of the US 2nd Cavalry was stationed in Zabul Province, where the regimental headquarters was set up at Forward Operating Base Lagman. The 3rd Squadron moved to the Maiwand district to support Combined Task Force Strike. During this time, 3rd Squadron participated in Operation Dragon Strike, receiving a Presidential Unit Citation for their significant role in the fierce combat and efforts to bring stability back to the region. During the summer of 2013, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment conducted its second deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the International Security Assistance Force. Upon completion of this mission, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment received the Meritorious Unit Commendation for distinguished service in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The unit subsequently returned to Rose Barracks in April 2014.
Today, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment remains stationed at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany. This strategic location allows the regiment to support NATO missions and maintain readiness for rapid deployment throughout Europe and beyond. The regiment’s primary mission is to provide reconnaissance, security, and rapid response capabilities for U.S. and allied forces. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment is a historic unit of the United States Army, renowned for its distinguished service since 1836. From the Swamps of Florida to the Deserts of Iraq, troopers of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment have lived up to their Motto of "Toujours Prêt," meaning "Always Ready," when our Nation calls.
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