DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the 1st Cavalry Division. First in Manila. First in Tokyo.
First in Pyongyang. That's how the marker opens — and friend, it earns every word. Now let's go back to the beginning, because this story starts long before any of those capitals fell.
The oldest unit in the 1st Cavalry Division is the Fifth Cavalry Regiment, raised and posted in 1855 to Fort Belknap, Texas. That's the anchor of the whole outfit. Then in 1866 came the Seventh and Eighth regiments — the Eighth pulling early duty out at Fort Concho, Texas.
For a while these regiments were their own thing, scattered across the frontier. But on September 13, 1921, the division was constituted — brought together out of those regiments and one other — at Fort Bliss, Texas, tasked with defending the United States-Mexico border. Then in 1933, the Twelfth Regiment joined them.
That regiment had been formed back in 1901 at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio. Now here's where the story shifts — and shifts hard. In 1943, the division was dismounted.
No more horses. They were sent to the Pacific, and they did not arrive quietly. The 1st Cavalry captured the Admiralty Islands, joined the invasion of Leyte, and then — on the direct order of General Douglas MacArthur, who called them his First Team — they captured Manila.
First Team. First in Manila. Then came Korea.
During United Nations action on the peninsula, the division swept over a hundred miles in eleven hours to reach Osan and claim victory. And when the fight pushed north, it was the 1st Cavalry that first entered Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. First in Pyongyang.
On July 1, 1965, at Fort Benning, Georgia, this division was converted into something the United States Army had never had before — an Airmobile Division. The first in all of American military history. It went on to serve a distinguished record in Viet Nam.
And since 1971, the 1st Cavalry has been based at Fort Hood — right here in Texas. The state of its creation. The state of its earliest service.
Seems like some things have a way of coming home. First Team, indeed.
What the marker says
First in Manila -- First in Tokyo -- First in Pyongyang. The Fifth Cavalry Regiment, raised and posted in 1855 to Fort Belknap, Texas, is the oldest unit in the 1st Cavalry Division, United States Army. Next (1866) were the Seventh and Eighth regiments. The Eighth initially saw duty at Fort Concho, Texas. On Sept. 13, 1921, the division was constituted of these and one other regiment (later dropped) at Fort Bliss, Texas, to defend the United States-Mexico border. In 1933, the Twelfth Regiment, formed in 1901 at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, came into the division. Dismounted in 1943 and sent to the Pacific, the division captured the Admiralty Islands, joined the invasion of Leyte, and captured Manila on order of General Douglas MacArthur to act as his "First Team" . During United Nations action in Korea, the division swept over 100 miles in 11 hours to reach Osan and win victory. It was the first force to enter the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. On July 1, 1965, at Fort Benning, Ga., it was converted to an Airmobile Division -- the first in U.S. military history. It had a distinguished record in Viet Nam. Since 1971 it has been based at Fort Hood, in the state of its creation and earliest service. (1976)