153rd Cavalry Regiment
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2012) |
| 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 | .png) |
,_1st_Squadron_recruitment_poster.jpg)
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.
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. |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Presidential Unit Citation (Army) | NEW GUINEA 1944 | |
|
|
Presidential Unit Citation (Army) | IRAQ 2003 | Permanent Orders 110-15, 20 April 2009[3] |
|
Presidential Unit Citation (Navy) | IRAQ 2003 | Permanent Orders 100-25, 9 April 2008[4] |
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|
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
- Streamer without Inscription[2]
World War II
War on Terrorism
- Global War on Terrorism[2]
- Liberation of Iraq 2003
- Transition of Iraq 2003-2004
Commanders
-
LTC Jay Hall, 124th Armored Rifle Battalion, circa 1950s-January 1959 -
LTC Ralph C. Davis, 124th Armored Rifle Battalion, circa January 1959-1960 -
LTC Lawrence Watson, 124th Armored Rifle Battalion, circa 1966 -
LTC Robert L. Howell, 3-124 Infantry, 1966-1972
-
LTC Charles G. Mohr, 3-124 Infantry, 1973 -
LTC Claude McLeod, 3-124 Infantry, 1976
-
LTC Frederic J. Raymond,3-124 Infantry, 1989 -
LTC Thad W. Hill, 3-124 Infantry, Iraq invasion, 2003–2004 -
LTC Michael Atwell, 3-124 Infantry thru transition to 1-153 Cavalry, 2005–2007 -
LTC Mike Canzoneri, 1-153 Cavalry, 2007–2009 -
LTC John D. Haas, 1-153 Cavalry, 2009–2012 -
LTC John E. Dethlefs, 1-153 Cavalry, 2012–2013 -
LTC David A. Reeder, 1-153 Cavalry, 2013-2016 -
LTC Ernesto J. Torres, 1-153 Cavalry, 2016-Present
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.
-
Tallahassee cavalrymen with Troop E at Annual Training in Fort Stewart, GA in 1964. -
Troop E, based in Ocala, goofing off. Circa 2005-06 when the unit deployed to Afghanistan.
See also
- Troop C, 1-153 Cavalry
- 124th Infantry Regiment (United States)
- 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat team
- 31st Infantry Division
- 48th Armored Division
- Florida Army National Guard
- Leon County in the Civil War
- Florida Civil War Confederate Units
References
- U.S. Army Center of Military History Lineage for 153rd Cavalry
- Senger, Dustin. 2010. Florida Guard Online. 153rd Cavalry Soldiers shift to Qatar mission.
- Fulghum, Derrol. 2011. Florida Guard Online. Cavalry Soldiers test to earn their spurs.
- Callahan, Joe. 2011. Ocala.com Looking back: On patrol with Ocala's soldiers.
- Hawk, Robert. Florida's Army: Militia/State Troops/National Guard 1565-1985. Englewood, FL: Pineapple Press Inc. 1986.