8th Cavalry Lineage

8TH U.S. Cavalry

Heraldic Items  

Coat of Arms  

Shield:

Azure on a fess of eight mullets pierced of the field, a demihorse rampant issuant argent.

Crest:

On a wreath of the colors (or and azure), grizzly bear passant sable.

Motto:

Honor and Courage

Symbolism:            

The blue and gold of the shield were the unofficial colors of the regiment for about ten years before the approval of this coat of arms. The eight mullets show the regimental number and cavalry tradition ascribing the origin of the pierced mullet to the rowel of a spur. This is further indicated by the horse. The bear is the emblem of California, where the regiment was organized in 1866.  

Distinctive Insignia                                                
The distinctive insignia consists of the principle charges and motto of the coat of arms.  It is a demihorse issuant rampant argent from a band fessways or charged with eight mullets azure pierced of the second, surmounting a ribbon scroll sable with the regimental motto – Honor and Courage – of the second.

 
Lineage and Honors

Constituted 28 July 1866 in the Regular Army as Company D, 8th Cavalry

Organized 21 September 1866 at Angel Island, California

(Cavalry companies officially designated as troops in 1883)

(8th Cavalry assigned 17 December 1917 to the 15th Cavalry Division; relieved 11 May 1918 from the 15th Cavalry Division; assigned 13 September 1921 to the 1st Cavalry Division)

Inactivated 15 September 1921 at Fort Bliss, Texas and redesignated  as Troop C, 3d machine Gun Squadron

Disbanded 1 February 1928 at Fort Bliss, Texas

Reconstituted and redesignated 16 November 1943 as Troop D, 8th Cavalry

Activated  4 December 1943 in Australia and reorganized partly under cavalry and partly under infantry tables of organization and equipment

Redesignated 25 March 1949 as Company D, 8th Cavalry

Inactivated 1 December 1957 in Japan and relieved from assignment to 1st Cavalry Division

Redesignated 29 April 1959 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Reconnaissance Squadron, 8th Cavalry; concurrently relieved from the Regular Army, allocated to the Army Reserve and assigned to 96th Infantry Division (organic elemnents concurrently activated)

Activated 1 June 1959 at Salt Lake City, Utah

Inactivated 15 March 1963 at Salt lake City, Utah and relieved from assignment to 96th Infantry Division

Redesignated 3 December 1963 as Troop D, 8th Cavalry and assigned to 191st Infantry Brigade

Activated 1 September 1964 at Ogden, Utah

Inactivated 29 February 1968 at Ogden, Utah

Redesignated  16 February 1987 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 8th Cavalry, withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allocated to the Regular Army; concurrently relieved from assignment to the 191st Infantry Brigade, assigned to the 3d Armored Division and activated in Germany, using personnel and equipment from the 3d Battalion, 33d Armor

Inactivated 15 October 1991 in Germany and relieved from assignment to 3d Armored Division

CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT
Indian Wars 
Comanches
Apaches
Pine Ridge
Arizona 1867
Arizona 1868
Oregon 1868
Arizona 1869
Mexico 1877

World War II, Pacific Theater 
New Guinea
Bismarck Archipelago W/Arrowhead
Leyte
Luzon

Korean War 
UN Defensive
UN Offensive
CCF Intervention
First UN CounterOffensive
CCF Spring Offensive
UN Summer-Fall Offensive
Second Korean Winter
Korea, Summer-Fall 1952
Third Korean Winter

Vietnam 
Defense
CounterOffensive
CounterOffensive, Phase II
CounterOffensive, Phase III
Tet CounterOffensive
CounterOffensive, Phase IV
CounterOffensive, Phase V
CounterOffensive, Phase VI
Tet/69 CounterOffensive
Summer-Fall 1969
Winter-Spring 1970
Sanctuary CounterOffensive
CounterOffensive VII
Consolidation I
Consolidation II
Cease-Fire

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm 
Defense of Saudi Arabia
Liberation of Kuwait

DECORATIONS
Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered LUZON (as 2nd Squadron, 8th Cavalry, cited for the period 31 Jan to 03 Feb 1945; WD GO 38, 1946)

Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered SKKOGAE (as 3rd Pltn, "F" Trp, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, cited for action on 21 Nov 1951; DA GO 69, 1953)

Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 – 4 JULY 1945 (8th Cavalry, cited; DA GO 47, 1950)

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered WAEGWAN-TAEGU (8th Cavalry, cited for the period 15 Aug to 26 Sep 1950; DA GO 35, 1951)

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered KOREA (8th Cavalry, cited for the period 11 Jul to 01 Oct 1953; DA GO 24, 1954)

Chryssoun Aristion Andrias {Gold Bravery Medal of Greece}, Streamer embroidered KOREA (8th Cavalry, cited for the period of the war in Korea; DA GO 2, 1956)