The 14th Cavalry was constituted 2 February 1901, by War Department
General Order Number 14. The unit was organized at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 5 March 1901.
Philippines campaign The 14th was stationed in the
Philippines from 1903 to 1906 during the insurgency campaigns. Upon successful completion of that campaign in 1906, the regiment then returned home to the United States and took up garrisons in the Pacific Northwest, where it assumed peacetime duties. The regiment was re-deployed to the Philippines in 1909, although this time it was only engaged in garrison duties and training.
Mexican campaign In 1912, the regiment was called for service in the Mexican campaign. On the night of 5–6 May 1916, a detachment of nine troopers guarding
Glenn Springs, Texas came under attack by a band of about 70
Villistas in the
Glenn Springs raid, and three privates, William Cohen, Stephen J. Coloe, and Lawrence K. Rogers, were killed on American soil. The unit then joined General
John J. Pershing's expeditionary forces in the
Mexican Punitive Expedition against
Pancho Villa and his forces during the summer of 1916, chasing bandits throughout the Mexican plains. The regiment then returned to
Texas, where it began the task of patrolling the border until 1918, when it was called into service in
Europe. The
Treaty of Versailles was signed before the regiment could cross the Atlantic and the regiment resumed its border patrol mission.
Interwar period The 14th Cavalry was stationed at
Fort Sam Houston, Texas, as of June 1919. It was transferred on 30 April 1920 to
Fort Ringgold, Texas. The regiment, less the 3rd Squadron, was transferred to
Fort Des Moines,
Iowa, and arrived there on 19 August 1920, while concurrently, the 3rd Squadron was transferred to
Camp Dodge, Iowa, and was inactivated there on 10 September 1921. The 1st Squadron was transferred on 2 September 1921 to
Fort Sheridan,
Illinois. The regiment was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Division on 15 August 1927. In April 1933, the regiment assumed command and control of the Iowa
Civilian Conservation Corps District, remaining on this duty until mid-1934. The 1st Squadron participated in the
“Century of Progress” exhibition in
Chicago, Illinois, May–November 1933. The entire regiment was assembled for the first time since 1920 at
Rock Island, Illinois, in January 1935 for regimental maneuvers and a mounted tactical march. The regiment, less the 1st Squadron, performed flood relief duties along the
Mississippi and
Ohio Rivers during
January–February 1937. The regiment was transferred on 28 May 1940, less the 1st Squadron, to
Fort Riley,
Kansas, with the 1st Squadron following on 20 October 1940. The regiment maintained habitual summer training relationships with the
Organized Reserve 161st Cavalry Brigade and
322nd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Des Moines, 1922–40. The 1st Squadron maintained habitual summer training relationships with the regiments of the
65th Cavalry Division (317th–320th Cavalry Regiments) at Fort Sheridan. Assigned Reserve officers conducted summer training at Fort Des Moines and Fort Sheridan.
World War II On 15 July 1942, the regiment was inactivated, with its personnel and equipment being transferred to the newly activated 14th Armored Regiment,
9th Armored Division. On 12 July 1943, the regiment was reactivated as the 14th Cavalry Group at
Fort Lewis, Washington. On 28 August 1944, the 14th Cavalry Group sailed for Europe, where it landed on
Omaha Beach on 30 September and pressed east. On 18 October, the unit's two squadrons were temporarily detached; the 18th Squadron to the
2nd Infantry Division, and the 32nd Squadron to the
83rd Infantry Division.
Battle of the Bulge The unit regained its autonomy on 12 December 1944 during the latter stages of
World War II and began guarding the
Losheim Gap in
Belgium. On 16 December, the 14th Cavalry Group received the full brunt of the
German winter counteroffensive in the
Battle of the Bulge. After two days of savage fighting, the unit reassembled at
Vielsalm, Belgium and was attached to the
7th Armored Division. On 23 December, the unit secured the southern flank of the perimeter, which allowed friendly troops to withdraw to safety. On 25 December, the unit was reequipped, attached to the
XVIII Airborne Corps and moved back into the Bulge to push back the German Army. After the bloody and brutal fight in the
Ardennes Forest, the regiment was assigned to the
3rd U.S. Army, and ended the war near the
Austrian border. ) after a successful ambush on a convoy of the 14th Cavalry Group on the road between Poteau and
Recht in
Belgium (18 December 1944).
Cold War After World War II, the group was reorganized as the 14th Constabulary Regiment and served as a police unit until 1948, when it was again reorganized as the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment and served until 1972 as such on "Freedoms Frontier" at
Fulda,
Bad Kissingen and
Bad Hersfeld, Germany, performing reconnaissance and border duties for
NATO until its colors were cased and it was replaced by the
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
2000s Iraq , in January 2006. The regiment was reactivated on 15 September 2000 as the U.S. Army's first
reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition squadron in the
Stryker brigade combat team. From August 2001 to May 2003 1st Squadron as a part of the Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team tested various medium weight combat vehicles eventually certifying the 8 wheeled, 20 ton Stryker vehicle during the first ever US Army unit to complete back-to-back Combat Training Center rotations. After training at the National Training Center in March 2003, 1st Squadron loaded its complete complement of tactical vehicles on Navy LSVs in San Diego and discharged them two days later in Beaumont, Tx. A tactical roadmarch then brought the Squadron to its next rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, LA. Upon completion the Squadron (and its Brigade) was certified for combat deployment. The 1st Squadron deployed to Northern
Iraq in October 2003 initially assuming responsibility for the eastern half the City of Samarra. By January 2004 1st Squadron moved to Ninevah Province and relieved 3rd Brigade, 101st AASLT DIV. It conducted counterinsurgency operations in the western portion of Ninevah province until June when it was moved to Takrit, Iraq as the lead security force for logistical operations running from the Kuwait border through Baghdad and return. In August 2004 1st Squadron returned to its parent brigade in Ninevah province this time its area of operations was the western side of the city of Mosul. The mission was assumed by the 2nd Squadron in October 2004 and, in turn, by the 4th Squadron under the
172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in September 2005 until December 2006. The 1st Squadron returned to Iraq in August 2006 for a 15-month deployment. Initially slated to replace 4th Squadron in Rawah, Iraq the Squadron's mission was changed while the relief in place was taking place. 1st Squadron spent the better part of their 15-month deployment controlling the southwest portion of Baghdad. The 2nd Squadron was reflagged as the 2nd Cavalry squadron in June 2006. Upon finally returning from Iraq in December 2006, the 4th Squadron was reflagged as 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry. The 1st Squadron returned from their second tour in Iraq to
Fort Lewis in September 2007. The newest addition, the 5th Squadron, was activated at
Schofield Barracks,
Hawaii, on 13 October 2005 and was redesignated as 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry, in December 2006. The 2nd Squadron then served in Iraq from December 2007 to March 2009. 1st Squadron deployed to Iraq for its third deployment in June 2009 establishing ground breaking Kurd-Arab-US tripartite operations in a Combined Security Area in Northern Diyala Province, Iraq; The Squadron's unrivaled team-building skills helped to foster trust amongst two ethnic groups and helped prevent a civil war while furthering to shape a free and democratic nation of Iraq. 2nd Squadron again relieved 1st Squadron in this mission from June 2010 to June 2011 in the Diyala Province.
Afghanistan From December 2011 to December 2012, TF 1–14 CAV deployed to
Zabul Province,
Afghanistan, working with the
Afghan National Army,
Afghan National Police, and local government to conduct wide area security and build the legitimacy of the Afghan government. Bronco Troop was detached working alongside TF 5–20 Infantry in the
Zhari District and later the
Spin Boldak District along the Afghan-
Pakistan border. Apocalypse Troop was also detached to partner with the
Australian Army in
Uruzgan Province to secure the region. HHT, Crazyhorse Troop, and C/52nd Infantry "Hellcats" secured the entirety of Zabul Province with two
Romanian Army battalions and their Afghan partners. Throughout the deployment, the Squadron trained and mentored local forces, placing them in the lead and paving the way for future units.
Current status • 1st Squadron, inactive, was the
Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Squadron of the 1st Brigade Combat Team (formerly 3rd Brigade),
2nd Infantry Division and was stationed at
Joint Base Lewis-McChord,
Washington. 1-14 CAV was formally inactivated at a ceremony in December of 2024 after the implementation of the Army Structure change (ARSTRUC). • 2nd Squadron, inactivated December 2025 was a Cavalry Squadron of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team,
25th Infantry Division which is an IBCT and is stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. • 4th Squadron, inactive, was under
172nd Brigade Combat Team, a Stryker unit, before being reflagged to 5th Squadron,
1st Cavalry under 1st Brigade Combat Team,
25th Infantry Division. • 5th Squadron, inactive, was reflagged to 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment.
Recent deployments 1st Squadron •
Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2004) • Operation Iraqi Freedom (2006–2007) • Operation Iraqi Freedom (2009–2010) •
Operation Enduring Freedom (2011–2012) • Department of Defense Support to Customs & Border Protection (2019) 2nd Squadron • Operation Iraqi Freedom (2004–2005) • Operation Iraqi Freedom (2007–2009) • Operation Iraqi Freedom (2010) • Operation New Dawn (2010–2011) 4th Squadron • Operation Iraqi Freedom (2005–2006) ==Campaign streamers==