6th Squadron (Air) 17th
Cavalry
This new 6th / 17th Cav will take its history
from F Troop 17th Cav
 Photo(s) by Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Messier Lt. Col. Robert Brown (far right), watches as Capt. Scott Virgil (holding guidon),and 1st Sgt. Paul Correale case the guidon of Apache Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry. |
| Last Wheeler Cavalry unit inactivates By Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Messier Platoon Sergeant, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry WHEELER ARMY AIR FIELD -- On Sept. 9, in a small, quiet ceremony here, the 25th Infantry Division (Light) bid farewell to Apache Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry. The unit was the Army's last remaining Air Cavalry Squadron Ground Troop. The ceremony marked the end of an era in the Division's history that began in 1986 with the formation of the 5th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment. The 5-9 Cavalry combined one Light Ground Cavalry Troop with two Air Reconnaissance Troops to form the Division's primary reconnaissance formation, later renamed 3rd Sqdn., 4th Cav. Rgt., in 1997. Lt. Col. Robert S. Brown, commander of 3rd Sqdn., 4th Cav., presided over the ceremony, which in true Cavalry fashion drew out former squadron members and fellow cavalrymen from across the Division donning their Stetsons and spurs to bid farewell to a unit whose dynamic history spans more than 150 years. Capt. Scott Virgil, the outgoing Apache Troop commander, thanked his Soldiers for their dedication and professionalism in peacetime and in combat. He thanked the squadron's pilots for their meticulous precision in their work and reminded them that this is not a final goodbye but a new beginning. "A" Troop will case its colors temporarily but will redesignate as part of the 3rd Brigade Unit of Action's newly formed 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, removing the aviation assets and mixing cavalrymen with infantrymen, and a myriad of other combat arms Soldiers, to form one of the most lethal fighting forces the Division has ever known. The Air Reconnaissance Troops will
reform as the 6th Sqdn., 17th Cav. |
| Distinctive Unit Insignia |
Unit Designation Motto |
First Assigned to
 |
Unit History |
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17th Cavalry
Regiment "Forward" |
16 November 2005 | The 6th Squadron (Attack), 17th Cavalry Regiment was first constituted and activated as Troop F, 17th Cavalry Regiment on 1 July 1916 at Fort Bliss Texas. The 17th Cavalry was transferred to Douglas, Arizona on 17 May 1917 in response to the need for additional border security and to quiet labor unrest in the Arizona copper mines. In April, 1919 the 17th was ordered to Schofield Barracks Hawaii relieving the 4th Cavalry Regiment. The 17th was charged with the defense of the island of Oahu's shoreline less Honolulu and Pearl Harbor until September 1921 when the regiment was transferred to the Presidio of Monterey, California where it was inactivated on 21 September 1921. In WWII the 17th Armored Group served in the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns while attached to the XII Corps. The 17th Armored Group was inactivated on 30 April 1946 in Germany. On 9 March 1951 Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT), 17th Cavalry was consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 17th Armored Group as HHC, 17th Armored Cavalry Group and activated on 20 March 1951 at Camp Polk, Louisiana. The Group was inactivated on 4 May 1959 at Fort Stewart, Georgia. In 1959 reconstituted line troops of the 17th Cavalry Regiment and HHC, 17th Armored Cavalry Group were consolidated to form the 17th Cavalry a parent regiment in the Combat Arms Regimental System. Troop F, 17th Cavalry was reconstituted on 15 September 1965 as a brigade reconnaissance troop, assigned to the 196th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB) and activated at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Troop F arrived in Vietnam on 26 August 1966 with the 196th LIB which was attached to the 25th Infantry Division as its fourth maneuver brigade and based at Tay Ninh. The 196th including Troop F participated with the 25th Infantry Division in some of the largest operations of the Vietnam War including Attleboro, Cedar Falls and Junction City with Troop F conducting reconnaissance and security missions throughout the brigade's areas of operations. In late April and early May 1967 the 196th was sent north to Task Force Oregon (later redesignated Americal Division) and initially stationed at Chu Lai in Military Region 1. From 1967 to 1972 Troop F distinguished itself in the conduct cavalry operations in support of 196th Brigade elements operating in the areas of Chu Lai Tam Ky, Hoi An and Da Nang . Troop F received four awards of the Republic of Vietnam's Cross of Gallantry with Palm and received campaign participation credit for fourteen Vietnam campaigns. Troop F was the last ground cavalry troop to leave Vietnam departing on 31 March 1972 and then was inactivated. On 16 November 2005 Troop F was reorganized, redesignated and activated as HHT, 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (squadron organic elements constituted and activated) at Wheeler Army Air Field, Hawaii and assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division as an OH58 attack helicopter squadron. |
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| Lieutenant Colonel R. Scott Brown Commander, 6-17th Cavalry From Nov 16, 2005 To Jul 11, 2007 |
Command Sergeant Major Richard Mitchell Command Sergeant Major, 6-17th Cavalry From May 4, 2007 to Jul 23, 2007 |
| Photo pending |  |
| Lieutenant Colonel Nick Snelson Commander, 6-17th Cavalry From Jul 11, 2007 To |
First Sergeant Rickey E. Wagoner Command Sergeant Major, 6-17th Cavalry From Jul 23, 2007 To |
