The history of the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment began on July 28, 1866. At this time, the unit was constituted into the Regular Army as E Company, 7th Cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas. The young unit was called into action very quickly, patrolling uncharted lands during the Western Expansion. On April 13, 1867, less than a year after its formation, the 7th Cavalry saw its first skirmishes in Colorado against the Cheyenne Indians. In April 1873, George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry was recognized as a “model of soldierly discipline and efficiency,” and sent to face the feared Sioux Indians in the Dakotas.

The Seventh Cavalry was the only Cavalry Regiment during this period to have a band. The band adopted the Irish tune “Garry Owen” as their trademark tune, and it would later become the Regiment’s nickname around the Army. It became customary for the band to play Garry Owen as the Regiment charged into its battles.

On June 15, 1876, the 7th Cavalry came across the trail of a large Indian force. By June 25, Custer and his men had caught up with the body of Indians numbering over 4,000. The storied Battle of Little Big Horn that ensued was one of the largest battles ever fought in the Wild West. Although Colonel Custer was killed that afternoon, the 7th Cavalry went on to play a critical role in conquering the Western Frontier. On December 29, 1890, members of E Company, 7th Cavalry fought with such distinction in the Battle at Wounded Knee Creek, that five Troopers were awarded the Medal of Honor.

Following the Indian Wars, the Regiment served at various Camps throughout the South. While stationed at Camp Harvey Jones in Arizona, the 7th Cavalry served two tours in the Philippine-American War between 1904 and 1915. In 1916, the 7th Cavalry was responsible for patrolling the US-Mexico border, and spent two years fighting in the Mexican Punitive Expedition. In September, 1917, at the Battle of Guerrero, the Regiment made the Army’s last true Cavalry Charge.

In December 1917, the 7th Cavalry was assigned to an on-paper organization created to support service in France during World War I. It was during this period that George S. Patton, Jr. served as a Troop Commander, and Creighton A. Abrams served as a Platoon Leader. Despite the push for mechanization to assist in the War, the 7th Cavalry Regiment remained to be one of the last remaining true mounted Cavalry units. The Regiment was released from this role in May 1918, as no significant role emerged for their mounted troops on the Western Front.

In September 1921, The 7th Cavalry was first assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. The Regiment continued mounted operations and training up to the outbreak of World War II. The 7th Cavalry Regiment was officially dismounted February 28, 1943, as it was foreseen that mounted troops would not be necessary in the New Guinea Campaign. By December, the Regiment was reorganized under special Cavalry and Infantry Tables of Organization and Equipment. In January 1945, the Regiment covered over 100 miles in 66 hours and assaulted from the Lingayen Gulf area of Luzon, freeing 3700 prisoners. At the Battle of Antipolo, men of the 7th Cavalry earned 41 Silver Stars. As the war progressed, and the Regiment pressed on into Luzon and the Philippines, the unit was reorganized again entirely under Infantry Tables of Organization and Equipment, but maintained their Cavalry designations.

In 1950, the 7th Cavalry served invaluably in the Korean War. Earning its title as America’s Immortal Cavalry Regiment once again, the unit led the 1st Cavalry Division into the bloodiest of the War’s battles. The Regiment led the 24th Infantry Division on the road to taking the Korean Capital Pyongyang. In recognition of their outstanding performance, the 7th Cavalry Regiment was awarded five Presidential Unit Citations. For serving as part of the Greek Expedition Force during the occupation of Seoul, the Greek government awarded the Regiment the Chryssoun Aristion Andrias, its Bravery Gold Medal.

Company E, 7th Cavalry Regiment was designated as 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry in 1957, and at the same time was put on inactive status. In April 1966, 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry was reactivated as 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, a light infantry battalion, and joined the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 7th Cavalry in South Vietnam as part of the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile.) The 1st Cavalry Division maneuvered its light infantry battalions primarily by air-assaults into suspected enemy locations, and building up combat superiority in battles through the mobility of its 400 plus assault helicopters. The 5th Battalion, fighting as light infantry, distinguished itself throughout its five years in Vietnam, to include conducting dismounted coordinated battalion attacks throughout the month of February 1968 (Tet) in the northern outskirts of Hue. 5th Battalion 7th Cavalry received three Vietnam Cross of Gallantry unit awards from the South Vietnamese Army. Four men of the 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry received the Medal of Honor, one more than any other maneuver battalion in the war, Army or Marines.

As part of the Army’s modularity program, the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment was formed from the reflagged 1-3 Air Defense Artillery Battalion at Fort Stewart, under the 3rd Infantry Division. The Squadron was officially reactivated on July 21, 2004. Shortly thereafter, the Squadron deployed in January 2005, to serve under the 42nd Infantry Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom III. Troopers of the Squadron distinguished themselves in Balad, Iraq, allowing the citizens of the Region the opportunity to vote for the first time since the invasion. The unit was responsible for the security and reconstruction of the entire Balad region.

Only twelve months after their redeployment to the Garrison environment, the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom V. The Squadron performed in an exemplary manner when they conducted a deliberate attack on a major logistical artery South of Fallujah. Once the unit had established stability and defeated the insurgency in the villages of Fuhaylat, Amariyah, and Ferris, they relocated to a more volatile area South of Baghdad. Working out of FOB Kalsu, the Squadron established COP Meade and continued working to defeat the insurgent stronghold in Arab Jabour until their redeployment in April 2008.

Most recently, the Squadron was deployed to Iraq for a third time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and leading into Operation New Dawn. Task Force WARPAINT was attached to the 1st Armored Division and responsible for security in the Rashid district of Baghdad, as well as for the partnered development of an entire Division of Iraqi Federal Police. While deployed, the Squadron maintained stability in the region for their third Iraqi Election, giving civilians the opportunity to continue the establishment of their own government. The 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment led the United States Forces in Iraq into a new paradigm of the Iraqi Campaign. The unit front lined unique methods of partnering and training with the Iraqi Security Forces, with outstanding success. Before their redeployment to Fort Stewart in December of 2010, the unit was recognized as the model for future partnership in Iraq from representatives of the 1st Armored Division.

Squadron Insignia:

In 1924, the 7th Cavalry Regiment submitted three versions of what would become their distinctive unit insignia. All versions had a Gold horseshoe showing seven nail holes. The horseshoe was chosen to represent the Regiment’s mounted Cavalry heritage and as an adaptation from the Regimental coat of arms. The color Gold is symbolic of the Cavalry service, and also the color of the facings on the Regiment’s original uniforms. The seven nail holes showing on the horseshow are to represent the unit’s numerical designation. The horseshoe shows heels upward with the opening in the shoe closed by a blue ribbon bearing the unit’s original nickname, Garryowen.

Amid the Gold horseshoe is a dexter arm wearing a buckskin gauntlet. In the hand of the arm is an old style United States Army Saber, ardent hilted and health at the charge position. This position is symbolic of the Regiment’s battle heritage. The only variation in the three designs submitted to the War Department was the tip of the Cavalry Saber. The first design placed the tip of the saber at the base of the W. The second design placed the tip between the W and the E. The third design, which the War Department approved, placed the saber tip between the Y and the O. Although Garryowen is one word, the chosen position of the sword has led many to make the mistake of calling the Seventh Cavalry the Garry Owen Cavalry.

Squadron Coat of Arms:

The 7th Cavalry Regiment Coat of Arms was originally approved on December 6, 1920. The Coat of Arms shows a shield and crest. The shield consists of an Or, on a chevron azure, between a phoenix rising from its ashes in Dexter chief, the head of a North American Indian war bonnet couped at the neck in sinister chief, and a yucca plant vert in base, seven horseshoes heels upward of the field. The crest is based on a wreath of the colors (or and azure), a Dexter arm embowed vested azure, the hand in buckskin gauntlet proper, grasping an old U.S. Army saber argent, hilted over. The Regiment’s motto is “The Seventh First”. The symbolism associated with the Coat of Arms was amended on February 4, 1983 to accurately reflect the losses incurred at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

The Regimental Coat of Arms is based on a field of yellow, the color of the Cavalry. The principal charge is a chevron whose origin tradition ascribes to the spur, which was formerly of that shape without rowel. The number of horseshoes corresponds to the numerical designation of the Regiment. The phoenix symbolized the resurrection of the Regiment after its virtual extermination in the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. The Indian head and yucca commemorate Indian campaigns and the Punitive Expedition of 1916, respectively. The crest shows the position of “Raise Saber” taken at the command “Charge” as prescribed in 1873, the arm being habited in the uniform of the period.