The First Cav

The U.S. Army had considered cavalry units to be the armored units that replaced the horse-drawn and mounted troops of the past. Tanks and armored personnel carriers provided the mobility and fast reaction time of past cavalry units. On Sept. 11, 1965, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) began arriving in Vietnam and brought with it a new type of warfare. The division consisted of nine battalions of airmobile infantry, six battalions of artillery, and a reconnaissance squadron. The division also had the 11th Aviation Group consisting of three aviation battalions, and 11 companies of assault helicopters, assault support helicopters, and gunships. When units of the 1st Cavalry Division would assault an enemy position, the troopers would be brought in to the fight by helicopter and would receive supplies by helicopter. They would patrol the area for anywhere from a few days to several weeks before helicopters would pick them up.

The division would fight battles from the northernmost part of South Vietnam to the southern Mekong Delta. They would slowly begin to withdraw units from late April 1970 to June 1972. During deployment to Vietnam, troopers with the 1st Cavalry Division were awarded 25 Medals of Honor, 120 Distinguished Service Crosses, 2,766 Silver Stars, 2,697 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 8,408 Bronze Stars for Valor. These awards for valor give some indication of the intensity of the combat the division saw. The First Cavalry Division had 5,444 killed in action and 26,592 wounded in action in Vietnam.

Elements of the 1st Cavalry Division have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the division's home base is Ft. Hood, Texas.

A visit with an old friend

Please pardon a quick change of subject. My best friend from high school stopped to see me last year while on a vacation trip, and the past 50 years had not lessened the bond between us. A month ago I received word that his heart was failing, and he was being cared for at home by hospice. I had a farewell talk with him over the phone, and he displayed what I remember from years past. Steve is a brave and compassionate man with boundless empathy for others. It has been an honor to call him my friend.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.