1st Cavalry Division Association

Overview On 17 July 1944, a group of First Team Soldiers in the Admiralty Islands agreed to form an Association of 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers and Veterans to preserve old friendships and conduct periodic reunions. The first reunion of the 1st Cavalry Division Association was held in 1948 at El Paso, Texas where the 1st Cavalry Division was organized in 1921 at Fort Bliss. Today the 1st Cavalry Division Association is a non-political, non-sectarian, non-profit, Soldiers and Veterans fraternal organization that has over 30,000 active members. Our membership once consisted of Troopers who rode horses in the 1940’s through Troopers who ride Abrams tanks and Apache helicopters today. Our equipment, tactics and the locations where we served may be different, but we all share a commonality of serving in the best Division in the United States Army – the 1st Cavalry Division. The Association unanimously adopted a Constitution in November 1948 during its first reunion and was incorporated in Washington, D.C. on 1 September 1949. The Constitution begins by listing the aims and objectives of the Association. It states, “The 1st Cavalry Division Association was organized in the Admiralty Islands with the common aims: to perpetuate the fine traditions and the gallant accomplishments of the Division; to provide a suitable memorial dedicated to the memory of our fallen comrades; to establish an endowment program to continue as a lasting reminder in their memory; to preserve and strengthen the fine friendships that found root during war service in the 1st Cavalry Division; and to be mutually helpful to one another in the years which lie ahead.” Perpetuation of the fine traditions and the gallant accomplishments of the Division remain one of the objectives of the Association. The 1st Cavalry Division Band, Honor Guard, and Horse Cavalry Detachment maintain that tradition as the Battle Streamers on the unit Colors flutter in the breeze on Cooper Field during ceremonies at Fort Hood. The Association has a close tie to the Horse Cavalry Detachment since it provided funds to assist the Division Commander, MG Jim Smith, in equipping the Horse Platoon in 1971. Since that time, the Association has remained in close contact with the unit that has ridden in Rose Bowl Parades and Presidential Inaugurations. Association members maintain contact with their old units and often conduct briefings or leader development classes for them during the reunions conducted at Fort Hood. This helps to bring the Division’s history to life for the present-day Troopers. The Association Historian and other members of the Association undertook the task of updating and recording the history of the Division. The resulting book, 1st Cavalry Division, A Spur Ride Through the 20th Century, is another way the Association ensures that the accomplishments of the Division are remembered. The names of our honored dead from previous wars are set in long bronze tablets that surround those who enter the 1st Cavalry Division Memorial Chapel on Fort Hood. The tablets affixed to the inner walls of the Chapel are a fulfillment of the pledge to dedicate a fitting memorial to the 10,383 Troopers assigned to units of the 1st Cavalry Division who gave their lives during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. The dedication plaque near the entrance of the Chapel states, “This Memorial is dedicated by the Troopers past and present of the 1st Cavalry Division to those of our ranks who have fallen in battle. We record their names here as a perpetual roll call in honor of their selfless sacrifice. We, your comrades in arms, salute you and rededicate ourselves to the principles of duty, honor, and country for which you gave the last full measure of devotion.” The memorial was dedicated during the 1995 reunion and continues to be a focus of our Memorial Service during reunions. Names of the war in Iraq will be added at a later date. Additionally, the Association organized an effort to build a Division Memorial to honor the Troopers of the Division that were killed during the Division’s first deployment to Iraq. This Memorial stands on Cooper Field adjacent to the Division Headquarters to honor those who died. The names of the honored dead from the Division’s subsequent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have been added to the Memorial.