32nd Cavalry Regiment
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2022) |
32nd Cavalry Regiment | |
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Active | 1941–2000 2005–present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Army |
Type | Cavalry |
Size | Regiment |
Regimental Headquarters | Fort Campbell, Kentucky |
Motto(s) | Victory or Death |
Facings | Yellow |
Engagements |
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Commanders | |
Notable commanders | John Bahnsen |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia | |
1st Squadron Background Trimming |
U.S. Cavalry Regiments | |||
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The 32nd Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry formation of the United States Army. From 1941 to 2000, it was an armor formation.
History
The 32nd Armor Regiment was activated 15 April 1941 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana as the 2nd Armored Regiment and assigned to the 3rd Armored Division. This title designation did not last long as the unit was quickly redesignated less than a month later on 8 May 1941 as the 32nd Armor Regiment.[1] The 32nd Armor along with the 33rd Armor were the only two of the six armor regiments (the others belonging to the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions) to have ever been deployed in full regimental formation (during World War II.) All other armor units were deployed at the battalion level. The 32nd Armor Regiment then moved to
World War II
The 32nd was assigned to the
Cold War
Following the end of the Second World War, the 32nd Armor Regiment stood down along with the rest of the 3rd Armored Division on 10 November 1945. As Cold War tensions grew, the regiment was reactivated on 15 July 1947. Battalions of the regiment were stationed with
Locations varied with divisional attachments. Examples in the 1960s: 1st Battalion and 3rd Battalion with the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Armored Division, in Friedberg; 5th Battalion with the 24th Infantry Division in Munich.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion was in Hawaii during the 1950s.
Southwest Asia
The 32nd Armor Regiment also played an important role in Southwest Asia as part of the 3rd Armored Division. Following the end of hostilities in the Persian Gulf, the 32nd Armor Regiment stood down along with the rest of the 3rd Armored Division at Fort Knox, KY, on 17 October 1992 with personnel and equipment being transferred to the 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment. 1/32 Armor was part of the 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, TX during Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Reactivation as cavalry
The 1st Battalion was reactivated 16 April 1995 at
The 1st Battalion (the last active unit of the 32d Armor Regiment) was inactivated on 15 September 2000 at Fort Lewis, Washington with personnel and equipment being transferred to the 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment.
On 10 August 2005 the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment was activated as part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team (Bastogne), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. This new cavalry regiment inherited and continued the lineage and honors (including distinctive unit insignia) of the 32nd Armor Regiment.
War on Terrorism
On 23 September 2005, the 1st Squadron, 32d Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA)) deployed to Iraq for a tour in support of
On 21 September 2007, the 1st Squadron, 32d Cavalry once again departed Fort Campbell, again bound for eastern Diyala Province, Iraq for a 15-month tour as a part of the Iraqi Surge. Once in Iraq, the squadron relieved 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry and continued operations in Diyala, while planning for a move to
April 2010, Task Force (TF) Bandit, deployed to eastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and executed counterinsurgency operations in the remote provinces of Nuristan and Kunar. TF Bandit established security through offensive operations and the judicious application of joint direct and indirect fires, and improved governance and security by enabling local leaders and Afghan National Security Forces. By mid-July, TF Bandit had made clear improvements in security, governance and development in Naray and Ghaziabad Districts by expanding local government and shifting from contractor-centric to community-focused development. In July 2010, insurgent forces occupied the village of Barg-e Matal, an isolated but politically significant village in the northern region of TF Bandit's operational environment (OE) accessible only by air.
On 26 July 2010, TF Bandit conducted Operation AZMARAY FURY, a combined air assault, augmented with Soldiers from 1st and 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiments, Afghan National Security Forces elements and other enablers in order to secure the population of Barg-e Matal. ANSF and TF Bandit seized the objective and conducted follow-on missions in the Mandigal Valley including the clearance of the villages of Badmuk and Bachancha. On 18 September 2010, TF Bandit enabled the safe completion of parliamentary elections by defending polling sites, securing a main supply route (MSR) and pursuing insurgents attempting to disrupt the electoral process.
On 8 February 2011, TF Bandit conducted a major offensive operation code named Northern Avalanche. Augmented with Coalition and Afghan National Security Forces elements air assaulted and cleared to disrupt anti-Afghan forces within major valleys located in the southern portion in TF Bandit OE and allow ANSF to secure MSR south of Ghaziabad District Center. ANSF and TF Bandit decisively disrupted a major insurgent network, defeated defending enemy forces, and secured their objectives. During OEF 10-11 TF Bandit took part in 327 enemy engagements, completed 661 indirect fire missions involving 5,024 projectiles and was awarded 32 Purple Hearts, 13 valor awards and 205 combat badges. The TF Bandit also devoted 50 projects and $3 million toward development, and treated over 3,000 local national patients
In November 2012, the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as Security Force Advise and Assist Teams, SFAAT, under the command of 1st Brigade Combat Team, Bastogne and 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
Popular culture
From 1958 to 1960 Elvis Presley served as an armor intelligence specialist with the 1st Medium Tank Battalion at Ray Barracks, Germany. One of Presley's Army uniforms is on display at the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, in a special exhibit called "Sgt. Presley, Citizen Soldier."
Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns N' Roses, has a tattoo of the 32nd Armor regimental crest on his left arm, as a reference to unit veteran Elvis Presley, though Rose has never served in any military unit. Similarly, in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris sometimes wears the crest on a black beret. Black berets were once worn by 3rd Armored Division tank crewmen. The 32nd Armor Regiment was part of the 3rd Armored Division.
See also
Notes
This article incorporates public domain material from 1st Squadron, 32d Cavalry Regiment. United States Army Institute of Heraldry.
References
- ^ a b "1st Battalion, 32nd Armored Regiment". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 9 August 2022.