2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry

[Anonymous Vet]

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members.aol.com/AWallDad/12rgmt.JPG[/img]
#nosmileys

[Jimmi P]

Looking for anyone who served with the Commo Section of the 2/12 between 1969-1971. Also B Co, 2/12 during the same period. I was a Radio Mechanic and RTO. Specifically looking for: Pepe, Maes, Doc Miller,
Farris or anyone else who knew us. They called me 'Herbie'.

[Anonymous Vet]

Unit_Served_With = B Co 2d Bn, 12th Cav, 1st Air Cav Div
Veterans_Last_Name = Walker
Veterans_First_Name = Jerry
Country_Served_In = Vietnam
Reply_Email = [e-mail]

[Anonymous Vet]

The 12th Cavalry was organized in 1901 at Fort Sam Houston for duty along the Mexican border. Initially assigned to the Second Cavalry Division, the regiment joined the First Team in 1933. Headquartered at Fort Ringgold, near Rio Grande City, the Second of the 12th rode patrols along the southern border for almost forty years under different headquarters. Late in 1940, the battalion returned to Fort Bliss and trained for war as part of the 1st Cav’s Second Brigade and participated in the historic Louisiana maneuvers.

The battalion traded its horses for jeep and amphibious assault vehicles in February of 1943. In mid-June of 1943, the Division shipped out for Australia, where it trained in preparation for combat on the Pacific Rim. The battalion saw its first combat on Los Negros Island in March of 1944.

The battalion also participated in the invasion of the Philippines. Landing on Leyte on the 20th of October of 1944, the regiment was assigned the most difficult terrain in the central mountain ranges and faced fierce fighting. The fight was characterized by the bloody fight for Hill 2348 on November 15th. After being cut off from their supply lines, the battalion held off waves of suicide attacks. Finally on the night of 2 December, the troopers counterattacked and took the hill. The First Team took Leyte killing 56,200 enemy soldiers while losing 241 of their own.

On January 27th, the battalion stormed ashore on Luzon. It took six months, but on June 30th, 1945, the entire island was secured. Selected by MacArthur to be the first into Japan, the battalion took on occupation duty near Yokohama until its deactivation in 1949.

Reactivated in 1957, the battalion deployed to Vietnam in 1965 and fought the Division’s first engagement from the 18th to the 20th of September as part of Operation Gibraltar. During the Tet Offensive, the battalion played a critical role in the 3rd Brigade’s successful mission to relieve Hue. The Battalion participated in the invasion of Cambodia and earned its 16th Campaign streamer for the Sanctuary Counteroffensive. On March 26th 1971, the battalion stood down after five and a half years of daily combat in the jungles of Vietnam and returned to the United States for permanent duty for the first time since 1943. After progressing from Tri Cap to Armor division configurations in the 70’s, the 12th Cavalry was deactivated upon arrival of the M1 Tank, at Fort Hood.

The unit was reactivated in 1986, with the mission of training Armor officers at Fort Knox. The battalion’s colors were later moved to the First Team at Fort Hood, Texas in December 1992. Since then, the Chargers have aggressively defended freedom and set high standards in training at places like the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. In the summer of 1995, Alpha company was called out with Task Force 1-5 CAV on a contingency response to hostilities in the Persian Gulf. A year later, from September to December 1996, Bravo and Charlie company deployed with Task Force 1-5 Cavalry again, this time as a part of 3rd Brigade for Operation Desert Strike. Despite not being on an alert status, Bravo and Charlie companies mustered, deployed, drew prepositioned equipment and occupied defensive battle positions in 96 hours. Meanwhile, with two companies plus their support slices deployed, the remainder of the battalion turned in the battalion’s 58 M1A1 HC tanks to General Dynamics War Reserve.

In January 1997, the 2nd Battalion drew the new M1A2 tanks, making it the most lethal battalion in the world. The winds of sand blew again for the Chargers in June of 1997. This time the entire task force deployed to Kuwait, drew prepositioned equipment, and initiated a rigorous two and a half month training cycle known as Intrinsic Action 97-02. The Chargers battled blowing sand, 130-plus degree temperatures, and 50 mile an hour winds, all while maintaining an above 90% operational readiness rate and a high quality of life for the soldiers.

In the fall of 1998 2nd Brigade was organized into a Task Force with 1-5 Infantry and 1-12 Armor, to go to Bosnia as SFOR5. To avoid complication of two battalions of ‘Chargers’ 2-12 Armor was redesignated as the ‘ThunderHorse’ Battalion. The battalion redeployed back home to Ft. Hood and trained up and deployed to the National Training Center in the spring of 2000. Upon returning from NTC the 2nd Battalion assumed duties as the FORSCOM Defense Ready Brigade 1 (DRB1), and Individual Ready Company (IRC), where the troopers stood ready to deploy anywhere within 24 hours once called upon.

In May of 2001 the 2nd Battalion was relieved from FORSCOM Defense Ready Brigade and started a rigorous train up for another deployment to the National Training Center. The Battalion was conducting a Company Situational Training Exercise when America was attacked on September 11, 2001. the Battalion redeployed from the field and initiated preparations to fight a war against terrorism. The 2nd Battalion was not called upon to fight against terrorism, but deployed to the National Training Center in the winter of 2001.

In the spring of 2002, the 2nd Battalion turned in their M1A2 tanks and drew the digital M1A2 SEP tank. Then the 2nd Battalion transformed into a Force XXI unit, deactivating Delta Company, activating the Bravo Forward Support Company, and HHC transferring numerous amounts of equipment, assets, and personnel to Bravo FSC. This was a new challenge to the troopers, as they learned about FBCB2, a digitized battlefield tracker within their M1A2 SEP tanks, HMMWV, and APCs.

The troopers were shortly called upon to deploy with their new equipment in support of Operation Iraq Freedom. The troopers partook in operation Black Jack Lightning, a 2nd Brigade Combat Team ExEval validating the troopers were lethally prepared to go into a theater of war with their new equipment. The 1st Cavalry Division orders were recended and the troopers continually trained to remain a lethal force. Once more the 2nd Battalion deployed to the National Training Center and returned to Ft Hood only to store their digital M1A2 SEP tanks and to transform into a light Armored fighting force in preparation for a deployment to the Iraqi theater of operation.

The troopers of the 2nd Battalion 12th United States Cavalry Regiment now boldly stand at the forward edge of freedom with the finest equipment in the world, in the legacy of those Chargers/Thunderers who have served before and 20 campaign streamers, 4 Presidential Unit Citations, and 3 Valorous Unit Citations.

[Anonymous Vet]

Hi, everyone. I was stationed at An Khe, RVN from May 1967 through Apr 1968 with the 1st Air Cav Div (Airmobile), B Co, 2d Bn, 12th Cav (Infantry) from May to Nov 1967 and then with 1st Air Cav Div Finance, as a Finance clerk, from Nov 1967 through April 1968.
Jerry Walker