153rd Cavalry Regiment

153rd Cavalry Regiment

Coat of arms
Active circa 1860-present
Country  United States
Allegiance Florida
Branch United States Army
Type Cavalry
Role Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Size Squadron
Garrison/HQ Panama City, Florida
Nickname(s) Darkhorse
Motto(s) Scouts Out
Engagements
World War I
World War II
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation New Dawn
Decorations

Presidential Unit Citation (United States)

Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
U.S. Cavalry Regiments
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152nd Cavalry Regiment 158th Cavalry Regiment
1-153 Cavalry Challenge Coin, 2013
Pre-mobilization at Camp Blanding, FL in October, 2009.
2008 recruitment poster for the "Darkhorse" Squadron.
Staff of 3-124 Infantry, Commanded by LTC Charles Mohr in Fort Sherman, Panama, at annual training in 4–18 August 1973.[1]
Staff officers of 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry at pre-mobilization training in Camp Blanding. October, 2009.
Troop Commanders of 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry at pre-mobilization training in Camp Blanding. October, 2009.
First Sergeants and the Command Sergeant Major of 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry at pre-mobilization training in Camp Blanding. October, 2009.

The 153rd Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the Florida Army National Guard. Only the 1st Squadron of the regiment is active, with headquarters at Panama City, Florida. The squadron was formed in 2007 by conversion of the 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry.

1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry

First Squadron, 153rd Cavalry "Darkhorse" is headquartered in Panama City, Florida with units throughout the Panhandle. It was formerly 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry and officially converted to cavalry on 1 September 2007 when the 53rd Infantry Brigade converted from a "separate brigade" to the brigade combat team structure.

3-124th Infantry Battalion Staff in 2003 prior to Iraq Invasion.

Prior to 2006-07 when the Army transformed brigades into brigade combat teams (BCT), the brigade reconnaissance unit was only a single troop; in the 53rd Infantry Brigade it was E Troop, 153rd Cavalry in Ocala. The 2006-07 BCT reorganization disbanded E Troop altogether and converted the 3rd Battalion "Warrior", 124th Infantry into what is the 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry. Though E Troop and 1st Squadron share the same coat of arms, 1-153 Cavalry was constituted entirely from the infantrymen of 3-124 Infantry and so continue the 3rd Battalion's lineage.[2]

In 1968 a 3rd Infantry battalion of the 124th Infantry was reconstituted and remained a light infantry battalion until 2006-2007 when the battalion converted into the 1-153rd Cavalry Squadron. They specialized in jungle fighting and made many rotations to Fort Sherman, Panama to conduct annual training.

3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry was mobilized just after Christmas 2002 and moved up to Fort Stewart, Georgia for training. Alpha and Charlie companies deployed to Kuwait in January and were part of the initial invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. One company was attached to the 4th Infantry Division and was on a ship waiting orders to invade through Turkey before Turkey denied U.S. forces entry. Companies of the battalion were attached to 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, and 1st Marine Division during the invasion. In 2004 when 3rd ID left, 3-124 Infantry was attached to 1st Armored Division, with elements also supporting 5th Special Forces Group. The battalion was assigned to downtown Baghdad, based at FOB Warrior in the Aadhamiya neighborhood.

Organization (1968-2007)

Company Station
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3–124 IN Panama City, Florida
Alpha Company, 3-124 IN Tallahassee, Florida
Bravo Company, 3-124 IN Pensacola, Florida
Charlie Company, 3-124 IN Chipley, Florida
Delta Company, 3–124 IN Bonifay, Florida

Organization (2007 – present)

Company Station
Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1-153 CAV Panama City, Florida
Troop A, 1-153 CAV (Mounted Reconnaissance Troop) Bonifay, Florida
Troop B, 1-153 CAV (Mounted Reconnaissance Troop) Pensacola, Florida
Troop C, 1-153 CAV (Dismounted Reconnaissance Troop) Tallahassee, FL
Delta Company, Forward Support Company (FSC), 53rd Brigade Support Battalion (BSB) Chipley, Florida

Three years after the cavalry transformation, the squadron was mobilized and deployed with the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. In preparation for their 2010 deployment, the squadron underwent intense pre-mobilization training at Camp Blanding, FL for the entire month of October 2009. They mobilized under Title 10 orders on 2 January 2010 and flew to Fort Hood, Texas for two months of mobilization training. In the first week of March the squadron arrived at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. B Troop deployed to Qatar for a security force mission. HHT, A, and C Troops were stationed at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. A Troop controlled Khabari Crossing at the border of Iraq. C Troop was responsible for quick reaction force (QRF) missions around Camps Buehring and Virginia and an area reaction force mission (ARF) for northern Kuwait. The squadron redeployed and demobilized at Fort Stewart, GA in December, 2010.

Decorations

Ribbon Award Streamer embroidered Order No.
Dark blue ribbon with a gold border Presidential Unit Citation (Army) NEW GUINEA 1944
Dark blue ribbon with a gold border Presidential Unit Citation (Army) IRAQ 2003 Permanent Orders 110-15, 20 April 2009[3]
blue, yellow, and red horizontal stripes Presidential Unit Citation (Navy) IRAQ 2003 Permanent Orders 100-25, 9 April 2008[4]
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945
Florida Governor's Meritorious Unit Citation 2003
Florida Governor's Meritorious Unit Citation 2010

Campaign participation credit

World War I

World War II

War on Terrorism

Commanders

E Troop, 153rd Cavalry

Troop E, 153rd Cavalry was first organized in Tallahassee in 1964 as the mounted reconnaissance element of the 53rd Armored Brigade. The troop had tanks and armored personnel carriers (APCs). In 1968, a 3rd Infantry battalion was constituted when the 53rd Armored Brigade was re-flagged as the 53rd Infantry Brigade and the Tallahassee unit became A Company, 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry. Troop E was reactivated in Ocala, Florida and deployed to Afghanistan in 2005. The Ocala-based Troop E was disbanded during the Brigade Combat Team reformation in 2006-2007.


See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/255041
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 http://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/cav/153cvrg.htm
  3. ↑ http://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/HRC/2009/110-015_20090420_HRCMD.pdf
  4. ↑ http://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/HRC/2008/100-25_20080409_HRCMD.pdf
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