Америка армиясының 5-ші кавалерия полкі: Тарих және ерліктері

The 5th Cavalry Regiment ("Black Knights" and continues in modified organizational format in the U. S. Army.

"The war with Mexico had resulted in adding a vast territory to our national domain, and the government was bound, in the interests of civilization, to open this immense area to settlement. California, because of her rich deposits of gold, soon solved the problem without requiring much assistance from the army. While the Indians were numerous in that state, they were not warlike, and they readily conformed themselves to the new order of affairs. But the country between the Missouri River and California was an almost unknown territory, occupied by powerful and warlike tribes of Indians the army was to lead in the work of civilization, and the army was also to be an honest and impartial arbiter standing between the pioneers and the Indians, compelling both to respect the law and obey it, or to disobey it at their peril." The size of the regular U. S. Army remained the same since prior to the Mexican War (1846–1848), but it's "duty had been nearly doubled. ", As a consequence, General Winfield Scott requested from Congress, that additional forces be added to the Army, and in 1855 Congress authorized the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Regiments to be added to the U. S. Army. On 3 March 1855, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (later to be known as the 5th Cavalry Regiment) was activated in Louisville, Kentucky with troopers drawn from the states of Alabama, Maryland, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. Each company rode mounts of a certain color, so a trooper's company could easily be identified in the confusion of battle, and so that the regiment appeared more splendid and organized during dress parades. Company A rode Grays, Companies B and E rode Sorrels, Companies C, D, F, and I had Bays, Companies G and H rode browns, and Company K rode Roans. The 5th was then sent to Arizona, where it defeated the Apaches in 95 engagements from 1871 to 1874. Due to these actions, General William Sherman told a committee from the United States House of Representatives that "the services of the 5th Cavalry Regiment in Arizona were unequaled by that of any Cavalry Regiment." After General Custer and 264 of his men died at the Battle of Little Big Horn, troopers of the 5th rode after the Sioux to avenge the deaths of their fellow cavalrymen. The punitive ride quickly became known as the Horsemeat March, one of the most brutal forced marches in American military history. Men and horses suffered from starvation, but they eventually caught up with the Indians. Under the leadership of Col. Wesley Merritt, a Civil War veteran, the 5th was instrumental in defeating the Indians at the Battle of Slim Buttes. It was the first significant victory for the army following Little Bighorn. In the next few years the principal engagements in which the regiment took part were with the 2nd Cavalry and 3rd Cavalry.

As the Indian Wars continued, an officer of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, Lieutenant Adolphus Washington Greely, who had overseen the construction of some 2,000 miles of telegraph lines in Texas, Montana, and the Dakota Territories, was selected to lead an exploratory expedition to the Arctic. On 7 July 1881, Greely and his men left St. John's, Newfoundland, and arrived at Lady Franklin Bay on 26 August, where they established Fort Conger on Ellesmere Island, Canada, just across the narrow strait from the northwest tip of Greenland. During their tenure at Fort Conger, Greely and his men explored regions closer to the North Pole than anyone had previously gone. Alongside 17,000 other US troops, the troopers landed on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico at the port of Guánica, 15 miles west of Ponce. In July 1898, the regiment was split into four columns of both dismounted scouts and mounted cavalry, and in early August began patrolling across the mountainous enemy held countryside. Troop A saw most of the action in the Puerto Rican Campaign; under General Theodore Schwan, it was part of the 2,800 man "Independent Regular Brigade." Troop A performed well at the Battle of Silva Heights, at Las Marias and at Hormigueros where the 1,400 Spanish defenders beat a hasty retreat. the Regiment crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico and was successful in stopping the border raids conducted by bandits of Pancho Villa who had expanded their criminal operations into the United States, and had brought death to American citizens. The Regiment remained with the Punitive Expedition in Mexico, until 5 February 1917. When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, the 5th Cavalry was selected to remain stateside and defend against incursions along the Mexican border. As 5th Cavalry troopers continued fighting in Manila, they experienced urban warfare, uncommon in the Pacific Theater. On 23 February, E Troop advanced down a street in Manila supported by tanks, but was attacked by hidden machine guns and rifle fire. The troop commander was wounded in the middle of the street but PFC William J. Grabiarz ran to save him. After being hit in the shoulder, he was unable to carry his officer so he laid in front of him to shield him from the enemy bullets while calling for tank support. He managed to save his commanding officer from death, but he was riddled by bullets himself and was killed in action. PFC Grabiarz's selfless actions earned him the regiment's second Medal of Honor of World War II. On 12 April, the 5th Cavalry Regiment pushed south down the Bicol Peninsula in order to link up with the 158th Regimental Combat Team and clear the area of Japanese. They completed this on 29 April after B Troop along with attached engineers launched an amphibious assault in Ragay Gulf near Pasacao. After more fighting across Luzon and stiff battles to drive out stubborn Japanese resistance, the Luzon Campaign was officially declared over on 30 June 1945. The 5th Cavalry quickly marched on Taejon and was deployed into battle position by 22 July. The next day, the men received their baptism by fire. The 8th Cavalry Regiment was swarmed by North Korean troops and the 1 5 Cavalry was sent to fill in the line. On 24 July, F Company moved to assist the overwhelmed 1 5 Cavalry on their right flank, but the numbers of North Korean troops was too much for the troopers. Only 26 men from Companies B and F escaped alive to friendly territory. During the fight for LZ X Ray, elements of the 7th Cavalry were surrounded by large People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces, and 2 5 Cavalry arrived to help. They arrived on the American line and quickly engaged enemy forces, eventually rescuing the "lost platoon" led by SGT Ernie Savage. Once the battle was complete, the 2/5th Cavalrymen set out for LZ Columbus while Alpha Company 1/5th Cavalry and 2/7th Cavalry set out for LZ Albany. The column was ambushed by the PAVN near LZ Albany losing 155 killed for the loss of at least 403 PAVN killed. The 1st Cavalry Division earned the Presidential Unit Citation for their role in the Ia Drang Campaign. After Phase II of the Tet Offensive ended in PAVN/VC defeat, US troops launched Operation Jeb Stuart III. 3 5 (Armored) Cavalry was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division and attacked the village of Binh An after they discovered the entire PAVN K 14 Battalion, 814th Regiment was located there. A, B, and C Troops of 3 5 Cavalry assaulted the village from the ground with armor support, while D Co, 1 5, and C Co, 2 5 were airlifted to a nearby LZ and closed in on the village. A final assault was made on the enemy on the morning of 28 June, and at battle's end, the PAVN lost 233 men with 44 captured, while only three 5th Cavalrymen were casualties. In late 1968 the 5th Cavalry elements participated in Operation Toan Thang II, and in Operation Cheyenne Sabre in February 1969. Although 26 March 1971 was the official date when the 1st Cavalry Division was relieved from combat duties in Vietnam, 2 5 Cavalry helped established 3rd Brigade headquarters in Bien Hoa by interdicting enemy supply routes in War Zone D. On 12 May, 3rd platoon, D Co, 2 5th Cavalry tangled with enemy forces holed up in bunker complexes. With help from the Air Force and 3rd Brigade helicopter gunships, the troopers captured the complex. On 14 June, D Company was involved in another battle when it ran into an ambush in heavy jungle and engaged a company sized enemy unit. The troopers were pinned down in a well sprung trap, cavalry field artillery soon pounded the PAVN positions and Cobra gunship fire rained on the enemy positions keeping pressure on the withdrawing PAVN throughout the night. On 21 June 1972, the last 1st Cavalry Division troops left South Vietnam. In Vietnam 5th Cavalry units participated in twelve campaigns. Six 5th Cavalry Regiment Troopers received the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War; Billy Lane Lauffer, Charles C. Hagemeister, George Alan Ingalls, Edgar Lee McWethy Jr., Carmel Bernon Harvey Jr., and Jesus S. Duran. On 27 January 1973, the Paris Peace Accords saw a cease fire in Vietnam and the departure of most US troops.

The "Black Knights" returned to Southwest Asia in March 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Task Force 1 5 (TF 1 5) was assigned to the Kadamyia District of western Baghdad. In August 2004 the 1st battalion was shifted from stability operations in Kadamiya to go and fight the Madi Army in Al Najaf Battle of Najaf. After completing the mission in Al Najaf, TF 1 5 returned to Baghdad to resume operations in the Kadamyia District. In November 2004 the 1st battalion was again ordered to assist in the retaking of Al Fallujah in the Second Battle of Fallujah Once the city was under coalition control TF 1 5 moved to North Babil to support the election process in Iraq. From October 2006 to January 2008, TF 1 5 was deployed to the Mansour District of western Baghdad. The majority of the deployment the battalion was attached the Dagger Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division. Task Force 1 5 fought in Al Amiriya bringing that section of the city under control with the help of one of the first Sons of Iraq movements. In January 2008, TF 1 5 redeployed back to Fort Hood, Texas. In January 2009, TF 1 5 again deployed to Iraq. This time the battalion operated in Al Adamyiah. After the SOFA went into effect the battalion moved north to Camp Taji and took over areas north of the camp. In 2004 Task Force LANCER 2 5 Cav was assigned responsibility for Sadr City, in the north eastern portion of Baghdad. The battalion conducted over 80 days of sustained combat during the initial months of the deployment. After another 30 days of combat, the task force focused on rebuilding the infrastructure and training Iraqi security forces. These efforts contributed to the success of Iraq's first free elections in January 2005. The 5th Cavalry Regiment today comprises two battalions, both part of the 1st Cavalry Division. The 1st Battalion is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, while the 2nd Battalion is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team. The United States Army has since reactivated another component of the 5th U. S. Cavalry Regiment, in the form of Delta Troop, 5th Cavalry Regiment; as the Brigade Reconnaissance Troop for the 170th Infantry Brigade, in Baumholder, Germany. Although a reflagging of G Troop, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division; the BRTs of Europe remain the Warding Eye and Fulda Gap presence in Germany. Also Echo Troop, 4th Cavalry Regiment, has been reflagged to Echo Troop, 5th Cavalry Regiment, of the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Grafenwoehr, Germany. In October 2012, D Troop inactivated with the 170th Infantry Brigade. E Troop and the 172nd Infantry Brigade inactivated in May 2013.

1st Battalion is a combined arms battalion of the 2nd BCT, 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas. 2nd Battalion is a combined arms battalion of the 1st BCT, 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas.