The 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment (1-75 CAV) is a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

cavalry squadron established in 2004. It is the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron (RSTA) squadron of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team "Strike" ♥, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). It performs reconnaissance and cavalry missions in support of that brigade.

Activation

1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry ("Widowmakers"), an RSTA, was formed under the U.S. Army's transformation in September 2004. The squadron was formed under 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team "Strike",

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

in place of 3-502nd Infantry. The first commander of the squadron was LTC Alfonso J. Ahuja with CSM Scott C. Schroeder. The Squadron's lineage dates back to World War II, as the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion which was attached to the 502nd Infantry Regiment. The motto of 1-75 CAV (Widowmakers) is ''ONE ROUND!''

Deployment and training

The 1-75 Cavalry deployed to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

in the autumn of 2005. The squadron remained with 2BCT, 101st Airborne Division based out of

Camp Striker Victory Base Complex (VBC) was a cluster of U.S. military installations surrounding the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). The primary component of the VBC was Camp Victory, the location of the Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters f ...

. The squadron, along with the rest of 2BCT, patrolled Southwest

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

in an area known as the "triangle of death". 1-75 CAV is noted for locating and destroying multiple weapons caches as well as detaining several ranking members of

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

in Iraq. In January 2006 the Squadron was moved to protect a deadly

Main Supply Route A main supply route (MSR) is the route or routes designated within an area of operations upon which the bulk of traffic flows in support of military operations and humanitarian operations. MSR is a term that is also used in insurgency and irregula ...

(MSR) leading into Baghdad. While controlling this supply route, the squadron successfully decreased

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...

and

small arms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

attacks by over 80%, thus enabling the safe transport of supplies and materials into central and northern Iraq. During the time spent on MSR security, the squadron suffered two casualties. 1-75 CAV returned to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October 2007 and redeployed to Fort Campbell in late November 2008. 1-75 CAV deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in June 2010 and returned in April 2011. It deployed to Iraq as part of Task Force Strike in summer 2016 and returned the following year. 1-75 CAV partook in US Army AFRICOM's annual exercise African Lion in March 2019, with units traveling to Morocco and Tunisia to support the exercise, returning the following April.

Organization

1-75 CAV is organized into 5

troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

; a headquarters and headquarters troop; two mounted reconnaissance troops; and one dismounted reconnaissance troop. A forward support company from the 526th Brigade Support Battalion is attached to the squadron to provide logistical and maintenance support. The squadron is manned primarily by the 19 series MOS ( Armor/Cavalry) enlisted men and officers. 11 series MOS (

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

) enlisted men and officers man the mortar sections and dismounted recon troop, among others. Headquarters and Headquarters Troop ''(Hellcat Troop);'' the squadron's headquarters providing administrative support, intelligence, command and control, and medical support to the squadron. Alpha Troop ''("Apache Troop")''; a mounted cavalry reconnaissance troop. It has three mounted recon platoons, a mortar section, and a headquarters section. Bravo Troop ''("Bone Troop")''; a mounted cavalry reconnaissance troop. It too has three mounted recon platoons, a mortar section, and a headquarters section. Charlie Company ''("Chaos Company")''; a dismounted reconnaissance company. It has two dismounted recon platoons, a mortar section, a sniper section, and a headquarters section. Delta Company ''("Dealer Troop")'': an attached forward support company from the brigade support battalion.

Current status

The 1-75 Cavalry deployed to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

in support of OEADR POLAND in the summer of 2002. 1-75 CAV replaced a portion of 82nd Airborne troops. * 1-75 CAV is the Cavalry Squadron of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team,

stationed at

Fort Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee, Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). F ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

.It is the only unit of any size ever organized under the 75th Cavalry Regiment name.

References

* {{AIOH, url=http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Heraldry/ArmyDUISSICOA/ArmyHeraldryUnit.aspx?u=3132, article=75th Cavalry Regiment * William K. Emerson, ''Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms''
page 51
.

External links

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