January 2024

Happy New Year, Dragoons!

I hope that you enjoy this issue of The Thoroughbred. John MacEnroe, esteemed Adjutant and Editor has provided us with another outstanding issue.

Great kudos to John MacEnroe and Joe Deskevich for bringing Dragoonbase under the Association’s umbrella after decades of Tacoma Dave’s almost single-handed efforts to maintain that tremendous forum. Dragoonbase is thriving. If you aren’t familiar with Dragoonbase, please take a look at https://dragoonbase.ning.com/. This platform offers you connection to your Dragoon buddies and others across many generations of the Regiment. We hope that you will avail yourself of Dragoonbase to stay in touch and to stay informed. Please check it out. 

We continue to work on the Memorial at Ft. Moore. Concrete has been poured on the first phase of the walkway leading up to the Memorial. Now we are planning for the installation of the first pavers to border that concrete path. We need your help: I hope that every Dragoon reading this will consider buying a paver for our Memorial at Ft. Moore. Each veteran’s paver not only memorializes their connection to the Regiment but helps fund the Memorial. Mike Wieczorek deserves tremendous credit for bringing this project to life. Pavers can be purchased on our website at: https://www.2dcavalryassociation.com/donate/. In addition to his yeoman-like effort as the Association Historian, Matt Simon has taken a leadership position on all things Dragoon at Ft. Moore, a huge asset to us, thanks.

We hope that Dragoons everywhere will join us for a virtual celebration of the Regiment’s 188^th birthday on May 23, 2024. On that day, your Association will open a portal for all who want to join to say happy birthday to the Regiment in Vilseck. I intend to join the call from the 2d Cavalry marker on the Gettysburg battlefield; please join us from your office, kitchen, living room, gravesite of a fallen Dragoon or a place of historical significance to the Regiment. Connectivity details to follow but please save the date: 23May2024, 1700 in Vilseck, 1100 on the east coast and 0800 on the west. This is not only the recognition of the Regiment’s activation but the start of our countdown to 200 of the 2d Dragoons. Yes, we are thinking ahead and beginning to plan for that bicentennial birthday in 2036. Please don’t hesitate to chime in with your suggestions.

Jeff Davidson is putting together a great reunion for us in Nashville in April 2025. Expect more details as the year unfolds with registration to open on Veterans Day, 11/11/2024. In the meantime, please mark your calendars: April 3-6, 2025.

A special shout out to Paul Liebeck, who found a florist in Vilseck and drove from Bamberg to Vilseck to ensure that Christmas cheer arrived for the RCO and RCSM’s wives thanking them for all they do behind the scenes for the Regiment’s families.

The 2HOW Redbags are planning a reunion in Nashville in September of this year at the same Doubletree in Murfreesboro where we will be in 2025. I commend the Redbag team of Mike Long, Gene Lanzillo, Adam Dadswell, and Richard Thompson for bringing their group together. Thanks to Joe Deskevich, Oscar Ruiz and Jeff Davidson for their willingness to help the Redbags pull together a great event.

Thanks, are also due to Mark Jackson for his piece on Joe Dickman, 16^th Colonel of the Regiment and to Julian Hernandez for his editing of Joe Deskevich’s wonderful commentary on his time in the Regiment. Joe’s recollections are now enshrined in our archives, providing first-hand experience to the history of the Regiment. Thank you to Allan Ward for allowing us to publish his piece about serving as the Regimental Border Officer in the early 1960s. I appreciate that Bill Thuemmel introduced us to COL Ward. As an aside, Stan Sheridan’s piece was found in the paper archives that we received from Lou Holtz. I encourage each of you to tell your story of the time you were in the Regiment so that it becomes available to future historians. Like Joe, Allan and Stan, your story needs to and should be recorded. Don’t worry if you aren’t a writer, we’ll help you with the editing. Just write it down and we will take it from there. Mike Thornton and Tom Taylor have both promised to send us their story. Will you?

Thanks to those that continue to volunteer. Ryan Yantis has volunteered to help disseminate what we can about veteran benefits. John McFassel has volunteered to help with our archiving project.

Late last year we got a message via our website that someone wanted to make a donation of materials to the Association. Because of my proximity, I had the honor to visit Debbie Jussel at her beautiful home in Carlisle, PA. Debbie has graciously donated prints, books and artifacts for our next auction. Thank you, Debbie, for thinking of us. Your generosity will be impactful and is greatly appreciated!

To you, my fellow Dragoons, thank you for your selfless service and patriotism. I am grateful to be included in your company.

Tim White

Dragoon for Life

‘Stryking’ towards networked battlefield communications

HOHENFELS, Germany — As the geopolitical landscape in Europe continues to draw attention, one U.S. Army regiment stationed in Germany is leading the force with new on-the-move communications from inside the hull of a Stryker.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment recently completed its annual Dragoon Ready exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. This exercise helps to ensure readiness and train the regiment in its mission essential tasks in support of unified land operations, enhancing proficiency and improving interoperability with NATO Allies.

The exercise also served as the Army’s second Integrated Tactical Network (ITN) operational testing event (Ops Demo Phase II) for Capability Set (CS) 23, which demonstrated the latest version of networked communications between the command post, integrated Stryker vehicle platforms and dismounted troops.

The 16^th Regimental Commander-Always right there to see…

           As a lieutenant in the 2^nd Squadron at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany, we frequently served as Staff Duty Officer (SDO.) This duty began at 6 pm and ended at roughly 7:00 am…so it was all night. This duty came around about once a month, and we all dreaded it. We were expected to work all day, conduct the duty, and stay awake all night, then work the complete next day.

           Between rounds of the kaserne, our duty desk was in the headquarters building. All night, we stared at the 8”X10” photos of all the regimental commanders across the history of the 2^nd Cavalry. I swore I knew them all by heart and in chronological order. Also, just behind the desk was the JSIDS alarm system that tied all arms rooms together. It made a shrill, siren-like whine all night long which eventually put the SDO into an annoyed catatonic state, brain completely blank. This brain-numbed condition erased what I knew about the litany of regimental commanders.

           Years later, I wrote a chapter for the book, Pershing’s Lieutenants, and my subject was Major General Joseph T. Dickman. My research was completed, when I saw a short bullet point in a career chronology which mentioned he was 16^th Regimental Commander of the 2^nd Cavalry. I felt embarrassed that I had stared at his face for hours on end and yet never made the connection to the man whom I was task to chronicle. It was certainly a “holy shit” epiphany. I was familiar with MG Dickman for decades without knowing it.

           However, Jospeh T. Dickman is a soldier and a career worth knowing. Although not a household name, he played an important, pivotal role for both the 2^nd Cavalry and the US Army. He was a blend of combat experience and military “think-tank” vantage, which the Army would need as it entered World War I.

           Graduating West Point in 1881 and commissioned a Cavalry officer, he saw service in the Indian Wars, Boxer Rebellion, Spanish-American War, Philippines Insurrection, and the Mexican Border Incursions. Always a thinker and writer, he served on the Army General Staff, 1902-1905, instructor at the War College, 1905-1912 and Inspector General 1912-1915. Dickman was long on military doctrine, but short on current troop leading experience, and he was given command of the 2^nd Cavalry at Ft. Ethan Allen in February 1915; a role he held until August 1917. The US Army was rapidly expanding after the Declaration of War against the Axis Powers, and Dickman, with both his staff and combat background, was rapidly advanced; first named Division Commander of the 85^th Infantry Division, then the 3^rd Infantry Division, where under his command, it earned the nickname “Rock of the Marne.” Earning command of IV, then I Corps, Dickman ended the war commander of the 3^rd US Army.

           During Dickman’s time as 16^th Commander of 2^nd Cavalry, his skills as a trainer, speaker and writer were his most prized contributions. He knew the entire functioning of the Army better than any colonel in the service, and his words carried clout. But that should not detract from his ability to lead soldiers. When Pershing arrived in France, part of his military entourage were 14 troopers of the 2^nd Cavalry. Certainly, they would not have been picked if they were not top-notch. It is almost quaint, that on the eve of entering World War I, Dickman is still writing on the organization and strength of cavalry units, referring to troopers as “sabers,” even as cavalry had ceased to play a traditional role of the battlefields of Europe. But Joseph T. Dickman was, if anything, a cavalryman to his core. His military instincts were colored by the smell of saddle leather and the sing of a saber leaving its scabbard.

Mark Jackson

Chief Warrant Officer Daniel (“Dan”) James Noffke passed away on January 13, 2024, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Dan was born on August 11, 1986, to Cynthia Noffke and James Noffke in Pewamo, Michigan. At the young age of 18, Dan enlisted in the U.S. Army and worked his way up to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer at retirement in 2022. Dan led a life of dedication, courage, and unwavering commitment to his country through his service in the U.S. Army, leaving behind a legacy that will be cherished by all who knew him. Dan received many commendations and medals while serving in the U.S. Army to include the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal W/C Device, the Army Commendation Medal (5th award), the Army Achievement Medal (4th award), the NATO Medal (2nd award), Meritorious Unit Commendation, Valorous Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal (3rd award), National Defense Service Medal, Global War, among many others. Dan served in an imminent danger pay area while serving two tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was awarded the Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 2 Stars, an Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, a Non-Commissioned Service Ribbon (4th award), a Combat Action Badge, a Parachutist Badge and a Driver and Mechanic Badge.

Following his exemplary military service, Dan transitioned into the civilian world working for Jacobs as a SAP Systems Administrator. Dan utilized the skills he gained in the U.S. Army in this position, and one in which he will be sorely missed.

While Dan achieved great success in his military and professional career, his true joy was found in his family. He is survived by Kaicey Noffke (his wife), his children, Connor Noffke, Avery Noffke and Bristol Noffke, as well as Cohen Morgan, his stepson, his parents, Cynthia Noffke and James Noffke, his sisters, Paige Noffke and Heather Noffke, his best friend, Erik Schneider and wife, Kali, and many aunts and uncles. Dan was preceded in death by his grandparents, Judie Noffke, Don Noffke, Gerald (Jake) and JoAnn Simon, as well as his brother, Bradley Noffke.

Dan loved his family and friends immensely, and his memory will be forever etched in their hearts. His bravery, leadership, and unwavering dedication to his country, career and family will continue to inspire generations to come.

A memorial service with full military honors is being planned (tentatively) for February 17, 2024, at the VFW in Portland, Michigan.

Rev John Wesley Johnson Sr

I couldn’t get an obit for John, but this is a posting on DragoonBase from a fellow 2d Squadron Trooper:

Rodney and I was stationed at How Battery 2/2 ACR in 1973. He was the mail clerk. We hit it off from the start when He found out I was from Louisiana too.

Over the years we talked on the phone hoping that one day we will meet again.

Rest on my Brother. Rev. John W. Johnson from Bogalusa. Louisiana”

Until the Green Trooper! Always Ready 2nd to None!

My fellow Dragoons:

I was thinking about the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of the Association. It’s somewhat mind-boggling, board members interact couple of times a week in various groups, we have senior NCOs involved in building programming for fellow Veterans, finances are monitored daily leadership and admin collaborate daily and communication is worked on daily.

Aiding us in this effort has been a growing team of managers, writers, editors, and researchers. It is gratifying to see the expansion of the team. Our president acknowledged the contribution of several of the team in his note above. I would like to publicly acknowledge the tremendous effort and expenditure of time that my friend Tim White contributes to our organization. Every time he and I speak, he is just gotten off the phone with this general officer, the Regiment, this Sergeant Major, or some trooper who has an idea, a story, or a discovery.

Many of you have flocked to the new Dragoon Base; we need to make this the social media focus of our Association. It is on Dragoon Base that you will find brothers and sisters who have been where you have been and have walked where you have walked. While it’s not a place for political discussion, it is a place to be a Dragoon, to express your thoughts and needs, it is a place to celebrate your service to our nation and to our Regiment. If you not on Dragoon Base I encourage you to join. Beyond that, I am looking for Dragoons to post daily on the site. I’m looking for folks to contact Joe Deskevich and formally join his team, or if it suits your fancy, lurk in the shadows, observe the battlefield, and fire off your insights, memories, and a celebration of your service.

In the very near future, we are planning to kick off 12 years of commemoration leading up to the Regiment’s 200 birthday. We will be producing limited-edition shirts each year, and this year we will also begin toasting the Regimental birthday across the nation and the globe on 23 May. I think I may have a sip of bourbon and raise my glass in the company of John Buford. I encourage you to scour regimental history and find a place near you of significance to all of us.

As my good friend Bryan Denny would often say: “it is a good time to be a Dragoon!”

Always ready,

John MacEnroe

Adjutant

11 July 2011

Recollections from Serving as 2^nd Armored Cavalry Regiment Border Officer,

 October 1962 to June 1964

by

Allan T. Ford, Col. (Ret.)

I left the 2^nd Squadron of the 2^nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in October 1962 to become its Regimental Border Officer. As such, I “commanded” the U.S. Army units along the border of West Germany (FRG) with East Germany (GDR) and with Czechoslovakia. These border units included the three 2^nd ACR squadrons, the 2^nd Squadron, 14^th ACR; and, just before my tour was up, the 3^rd Squadron, 3^rd ACR, which replaced the 11^th ACR. 

As the only truly operational unit in VII Corps, the 2^nd ACR called the shots as the first line of defense for the 4^th Armored Division and the 3d Infantry Division areas of responsibility, and I was in-charge! Below is a chronological description of events from my perspective.

In 1961, I saw a number of changes affecting the 2^nd ACR and Border Operations. In August, while I and my Troop (G Troop) were on the border, the East Germans started to build their death fences. These consisted of two rows of head-high barbed wire with land mines scattered between the two rows. The East German Border Police (Volkspolitzei or “Vopos”) were replaced by the East German Army. When we went to the border we were administratively under the CO, 2^nd ACR, but, operationally under the CO of the 14^th ACR. Because of the shift of the 7^th Army defense boundary, the 3d Infantry Division’s area of responsibility moved westward and our area became the responsibility of the 4^th Armored Division. Now the 2^nd Squadron, 2^nd ACR was back under the 2^nd ACR, which now became responsible for the 2^nd Squadron, 14^th ACR’s border responsibility. The 2^nd Squadron, 14^th ACR did not have a border camp but operated out of their home garrison at Bad Kissingen.

The 2^nd ACR got a new CO, Col. George B. Pickett, Jr., in 1961. Early in 1962, LTC John R. Whittick was reassigned to Headquarters, 7^th Army. LTC Ralph D. Peters took command of the 2^nd Squadron, 2^nd ACR. In October 1962, our 2^nd Squadron S-4 (Gene Fox) got orders to PCS (Permanent Change of Station) back to the

States. LTC Peters told me that he was going to move me to the S-4 and put Bob Altier in command of G Troop. I asked him to leave me in command of G Troop (I did not want to be the S-4). He said that he had checked my record and that I had too much command time. (Note: I commanded a student company in the Armor School and when I made Captain I was given command of Troop G, 6^th Armored Cavalry. CO of Troop G, 2^nd ACR was my third company command). Peters said that he wanted a senior Captain as S-4 and that was me. However, two days later I received a call from Col. Pickett. He said that Captain Sandkout, the Border Operations Officer, had been RIFed out of active duty. Did I want the job? I said “yes” right quick. Thirty minutes later, Col. Peters called me and said that he had bad news for me. He said that Col. Pickett was moving me to Nuremberg as the Regimental Border Officer. I told him that, “Well that’s life” and hid my glee. Since Altier was my XO, it did not take long to inventory, etc., and for him to take command. This was the last week of October, I had to leave the family in quarters in Bamberg until January 1963. Col. Pickett moved me to the top of the list for quarters on Pastorius Str., which was the housing area for HQ, 2^nd ACR.

When I arrived in Nuremberg, I was introduced to the 2^nd AC Regimental staff. My official title was Assistant S-2 for Border Operations. My boss was the S-2, Major Ray Carlson, who I knew from my days in the 6^th ACR at Fort Knox. The incumbent, Captain Sandkout, and I left on a visit to the three squadrons and their border camps. The only reason that we went to Coburg was that it was due for a Regimental visit that involved calling an alert. When we returned to Regimental Headquarters, Captain Sandkout turned it over to me and he began processing to leave. The Border Office consisted of an NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer In-Charge), a clerk, and two other NCOs who worked the night and graveyard shifts. Their assignments were that one

worked from 4:00 PM to midnight and the other from midnight to 8:00 AM. Every week they would switch hours. The office was equipped with five dedicated telephone lines. One was to VII Corps and 7^th Army. The others were to the squadron S-2s. My job was to attend the daily command and staff meetings and brief the daily report on border “news,” prepare a weekly intelligence summary (the WISUM) using the WISUMs submitted by the squadrons and other sources. The Regimental WISUM would be sent up to higher HQs. It usually was a one-page document with boring items. When the Berlin Wall and the border fences were built, a

Military Intelligence unit from the 75^th MI Brigade was attached to the Regiment. It consisted of a Major, the Detachment CO, two IPOW (Intelligence Processing Workstation) Officers (both Lieutenants), two Image Interpretation Officers, and a small administration staff. My job was also to brief visiting VIPs and take them on tours to visit the border and the border units. I also had to make random visits to every unit on the border. Each visit would consist of an alert call made upon arrival to see if they could move out in 30 minutes or less in full combat readiness. Then I would check them to see if they were doing things in accord with the SOP and other instructions. If anything out of the ordinary should happen at a border camp or in the performance of the mission, I would investigate and then report my findings to the Squadron and Regimental Commanders. Usually the border units hated to see me come to their camps.

In February 1963, I was called down to Col. Pickett’s office. He said that our WISUM was pathetic. He said that he wanted a WISUM to look like a news magazine with pictures and good writing. Instead of a report about a cow taking a crap near the fences, write an article about an event that would make good reading. I discussed my meeting with the S-2 (Major Carlson), but he was no help. He said that I was on my own and “just do the best that you can.” To make a long story short, I will just give the highlights of how I solved this problem. First, I brought the MI lieutenants up to my section. I told their Detachment Commander that the CO had a mission for the MI Detachment. He said, “Fine they need something to do.” I found that the Aviation Company had the capability and equipment for aerial photography, including cameras, film, and a portable dark room with chemicals. I had that set up and put the Image Interpreters in charge of operating it. I directed Aviation Company to attach the cameras to the L-19s and start flying the border taking pictures. The two IPOW officers were language trained–one in German and the other in Russian. Both were English majors in college. One of my NCOs reminded me that there was a train that went from Munich to Berlin and back. It always stopped in Hof, a town right on the border in the 1^st Squadron area. He said, “I’ll bet that a lot of discarded reading material such as newspapers, magazines, flyers, etc., was left on the train by people getting off.” I told the 1^st Squadron to have someone board the train while they were changing crews from East German to West German and pick up all paper they could find and send it to us. I had the two MI officers read the material and if there was any military “news” to translate it and discuss it with me. The photography paid off with showing stuff that could not be seen by just the pilots flying the border. The two lieutenants did a good job with the East German and Soviet papers to come up with good stories. I got with the S-4 and asked him if he could get us an offset press. Believe it or not he got us one! The MI guys were good at picking stuff off the squadron intelligence summaries and writing them as good articles. We would insert stories from the papers we got from the train along with the pictures with explanations. We printed it on the offset press and gave Col. Pickett his magazine. He was pleased and he took it with him to Stuttgart for the VII Corps Command and Staff Meetings. He made a lot of “brownie” points for the Regiment with it. We got icing on the cake when 7^th Army gave us a super fixed-wing, turbo-prop airplane with SLAR (Side Looking Aerial Radar). That gave us the capability to monitor troop movements in East Germany.

Colonel Pickett emphasized that the border troop had two primary missions and they were to gather intelligence of what was happening in East Germany and Czechoslovakia and to be prepared to fight a delaying action if there was an invasion of West Germany. I spent a lot of time visiting the border troops checking their readiness and preaching the “Pickett Gospel.” He was concerned that the area halfway between Bad Kissingen and Coburg was vulnerable to attack. I led a team that looked for a good place to establish another border camp. We found an old deserted Schloss (estate house) that the owner was willing to rent to the U.S., cheap. It was very run down but it could provide shelter and we could get a hook up to a nearby electric pole. It would be occupied by a platoon from the 2^nd Squadron, 14^th ACR and was the only 14^th ACR border station away from their home station. In the summer, Col. Pickett received word that he had been selected for promotion to Brigadier General and would return to the U.S. and become Chief of Staff of the Army Materiel Command. Pickett was an egotistical guy who was a showman and a showoff. However, he was smart, intelligent, and a good tactician and strategist. I liked him and really enjoyed working for him. He would give me some impossible tasks but somehow I was able to do them. He repaid me with some good remarks on my efficiency reports. His replacement was my favorite, Col. Carleton Preer. In February 1964, I was promoted to Major and my biggest job would keep me busy until I rotated out in June 1964.

In November 1963, President Kennedy was killed. We got orders from CINC (Commander in Chief) USAEUR to go into extended surveillance on the border. They were afraid that the assassination was caused by the Soviets and that an invasion of West Germany could be expected. After the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, followed by this in 1963, being extra alert was the order of the day. The two Corps (V and VII)

Headquarters, 7^th Army, and all tactical units in Germany were told to be prepared to go on alert in a moment’s notice. However, when it became clear that the assassination was done by a wacko we stood down. I had to spend two nights sleeping in my office ready to issue any orders that may come as the war plan called for the border units to fight a delaying action until the divisions could come up front and take over the fight. In early 1964, the 11^th ACR was pulled out of Germany to return to the States and prepare to go to Vietnam. The 2^nd ACR was directed to take over the border mission of the 11^th ACR, which was the bottom two-thirds of the border with Czechoslovakia. A squadron of the 3^rd ACR was attached to the 2^nd ACR to help out. My job was to organize the Regiment’s new border mission to make it easy to accomplish the mission even though the Regiment was stretched thin. I had the 1^st Squadron to patrol a portion of the Czech border. The 3^rd Squadron,

3^rd ACR could not staff all three of the 11^th ACR’s border camps so we decided to close the southern one.  I have forgotten the names of the towns that those camps were in; but, I believe the 11^th ACR HQ and 1^st Squadron were in Straubing, the 2^nd Squadron was in Landshut, and the 3^rd Squadron was in Regensburg. The

3^rd Squadron, 2^nd ACR took over patrolling most of the area that the 1^st Squadron, 11^th ACR had been responsible for and the 3^rd Squadron, 3^rd ACR would do the rest down to the tri-zonal point (place where

Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Germany meet). My job prior to putting this in place was to write a new Regimental Border SOP. I completed it in May 1964 and submitted it to VII Corps for approval. Not only did they approve it, VII Corps adopted it, word for word, as the VII Corps Border SOP. Since bureaucracy had to be taken into account, I had to be careful how I wrote the mission statements. The 2^nd Squadron, 14^th ACR was a V Corps unit; the 2^nd ACR was VII Corps; and the 3^rd Squadron, 3^rd ACR was 7^th Army. They were operationally 2^nd ACR, but administratively their Regimental Headquarters were responsible for them. In June 1964, I PCSd back to the states and for the next three years I was an ROTC Instructor at Clemson University. 

That was not nearly as stressful as being a Border Trooper, both at the Troop level and Regimental level. 

Although my next assignments were with J-3, USMACV, in Vietnam; Battalion and Brigade Commandeer,

Army Training Center, Fort Ord, California; Army ODCSPER Pentagon; and finally Installation Staff (DPCA), Fort Knox; I feel that being a Border Trooper was the best. Although it was during the “Cold War,” it was an operational duty. Well, that is my account of Border Operations at the Regimental level. There were a lot more small events that could have colored my account, but these were the high points.

I am afraid the Armored Cavalry Regiments are now relegated to history. Because they were perfect combined arms units (tanks, infantry, artillery—including 4.2 inch mortars, and scouts), General Bruce C. Clarke (the 7^th Army and later USAEUR commander) called them his vest pocket divisions ready and able for any mission he gave them. The Armor branch has been swallowed up by the Infantry with the move from Ft. Knox to Ft. Benning. The Commandant of the Armor School has been downgraded to a Brigadier General and—in the recent ARMOR magazine, he was proud that the Basic Course was turning out tank and scout officers. As Armored Cavalry officers we had to be a combination of tanker, infantry, and artillery because when we scrambled the organization the platoons would be 100% tank, rifle, or mortar. The ACRs are being reorganized into scout units riding in wheeled armored cars (STRYKER). The new brigades are mostly infantry, heavy with tanks in a support role. My career started as a brown shoe, khaki tie soldier in 1946. I don’t think I could make it today wearing Army Combat Uniforms (ACUs) and a beret on my head. Our generation was also a great generation! 

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, prepare for a scout section live fire exercise. 2nd Cavalry Regiment provides V Corps, America’s forward-deployed corps in Europe, with combat-credible forces capable of rapid deployment throughout the European theater to defend the NATO alliance. (U.S. Army photo by Kevin Sterling Payne)