3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division (United States)

The 3rd Brigade Combat Team is a combined arms armored Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division. Its major equipment includes M1A2SEP Tanks, M2A3 & M3A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, M109A6 Paladin Howitzers, and M1114 Up-armored Humvees.

Regiments

*7th Cavalry Regiment
*8th Cavalry Regiment
*9th Cavalry Regiment
*12th Cavalry Regiment
*82nd Field Artillery Regiment

Heraldry

The 3rd Brigade is a subordinate component of the 1st Cavalry Division and wears the same shoulder sleeve insignia.Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 3rd Brigade logo

Initial Organization

The 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division was first constituted on 29 August 1917. It was organized in December 1917 as Headquarters, 3rd Brigade, an element of the 15th Cavalry Division. The Brigade demobilized on 15 July 1919. The Brigade was reconstituted on 10 August 1921, joining the newly constituted 1st Cavalry Division. Never officially reorganized, the Brigade remained on inactive status until its activation on 15 October 1940.

World War II

The Brigade was converted and redesignated as HHC, 9th Armored Division Trains, and the unit deployed to the European Theater where it received campaign participation credit for the operations in Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. The unit was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendations with streamers embroidered Europe 1944 and Europe 1945.

Following World War II, the unit returned to the United States and was inactivated. It remained inactive until 15 July 1963, when it was relieved from assignment to the 9th Armored Division, converted and redesignated as HHC, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

Korean Service

The Brigade was activated on 1 September 1963, with the Division on station in Korea at the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Vietnam

In July 1965, the Division colors moved to Fort Benning and underwent reorganization as an Airmobile unit. No soldiers moved, and the soldiers remaining in Korea put on the patch of the 2nd Infantry Division. The Brigade was filled with soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division and the 11th Airborne Division. The Brigade sailed from Charleston, South Carolina to Quo Nhon, Republic of Vietnam on 17 September 1965.

The first major action undertaken by the Brigade began on 10 October 1965, and was followed by participation in the Ia Drang Valley operation officially known as the Pleiku Campaign. For its exceptional performance in the campaign, the Brigade shares with the Division, the Presidential Unit Citation. The battle is the subject of the critically acclaimed book "We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young" by Harold (Hal) Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, which serves as the principal source from which this article is composed. In 2002, screenwriter Randall Wallace depicted the first part of the battle in the film "We Were Soldiers" starring Mel Gibson.

The 3rd Brigade was formed into a separate unit and assumed operational control of the old 1st Cavalry Division area of operations until 10 April 1971.

Finally in 1972, the Brigade left Vietnam for Fort Hood, Texas, to rejoin the 1st Cavalry Division. When its colors arrived at Fort Hood on 29 June 1972, the unit officially became the "Greywolf" Brigade, named after General George Crook, considered the U.S. Army's greatest Indian Fighter. The Brigade underwent a change from an airmobile configuration to an Infantry Brigade (heavy or mechanized infantry). The "Greywolf" Brigade remained with the Division until its inactivation in 1980.

The Brigade was composed of the following elements:
* HHC, 3d Brigade
* 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry
* 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry
* 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry

Post Operation Desert Storm

It remained on the inactive roles until 21 May 1991, when the 1st "Tiger" Brigade, 2nd Armored Division was redesignated as the 3rd "Greywolf" Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. Since that time, the Brigade has participated in several National Training Center rotations, deployed Task Force sized elements to Kuwait, and in September 1996, conducted the first post- Desert Storm, no-notice, brigade sized deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Strike.

Operation Iraqi Freedom II

In early 2004, 3d Brigade began deploying to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The brigade protected the Green Zone and surrounding neighborhoods in Baghdad. The last elements returned home in March 2005. The 3rd BCT is currently deployed again to Iraq.

The Brigade was organized as follows:
* HHC, 3d Brigade
* 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry
* 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry
* 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry
* F Troop, 9th Cavalry
* 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery
* 8th Engineer Battalion
* 215th Forward Support Battalion

The Brigade re-task organized in Kuwait before entering Iraq:
* 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry was detached to the 39th Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas Army National Guard
* 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry was attached from the 39th Infantry Brigade
* 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry was attached from the 81st Armored Brigade, Washington Army National Guard
* the 112th MP Battalion, Mississippi Army National Guard

Also attached were:
* Troop F (Bristol), 2nd Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard;
* a company from 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry, California Army National Guard
* a company from the 8th Marine Regiment;
* Additionally a large number of individuals from the Individual Ready Reserve joined the Brigade

The Brigade's service was recognized and the following unit citations were awarded:
*HHC, 3rd Brigade was awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation (MUC) for the period of 17 March 2004 through 23 March 2005.
*1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry was awarded an MUC (17 MAR 04- 23 MAR 05)
*1st Battalion, 161st Infantry was awarded an MUC (17 MAR 04- 23 MAR 05)
*3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry was awarded an MUC (23 MAR 04- 5 MAR 05)
*2nd Battalion, 82nd Artillery was awarded an MUC (17 MAR 04- 23 MAR 05)

Modularization

Under the Modularization of the 1st CAV, two battalions were transferred to 4th Brigade and the 8th Engineers were inactivated. One battalion was transferred in from 1st Brigade, F Troop was expanded into a Squadron, and a Special Troops Battalion was organized.

* HHC, 3d BCT
* 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry (RSTA)
* 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry
* 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry
* 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery
* 3rd Special Troops Battalion
* 215th Forward Support Battalion

Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006-2007

In September 2006 the 3rd "Greywolf" Brigade began deploying to Iraq for its second OIF combat tour. During this tour it was deployed to the Diyala Province and based out of Baqubah. While serving as the main regional force for Coalition efforts in the area it fell under the command of Multi National Division-North (MND-N). During the 06-08 tour MND-N was commanded by the 25th Infantry Division and based out of COB Speicher in Tikrit.

The Brigade was a part of the controversial theater "Extension" that increased all combat tours to 15 months. This pushed their re-deployment home from theater to December 2007.

References

* [http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/3rd_BDE.htm "Official 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Homepage"]
* [http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/CampaignStreamers/Campaign.htm "Campaign, War Service, & Unit Award Sreamers"]
* [https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/active/tagd/awards/Unit_Awards/unit_awards.htm "Department of the Army listing of approved unit awards"]