Active 1941 Branch Regular Army | Country United States Part of USARS | |
 | ||
Nickname(s) Airborne Thunder (Special Designation) Motto(s) HONOR, FIDELITY, COURAGE | ||
The 73rd Cavalry Regiment is a Cavalry Regiment in the U.S. Army, first formed in 1941.
Contents
History
The 3 squadrons of the 73rd Cavalry Regiment ("Airborne Thunder") provide reconnaissance, surveillance & target acquisition (RSTA) to the Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division. 3rd Squadron is assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Squadron is assigned to 2nd Brigade and the 5th Squadron is assigned to 3rd Brigade. There is currently no 2nd or 4th Squadron, nor is there a regimental command.
Formerly organized as the First Battalion of the 68th Armor Regiment, the 3rd Battalion was equipped with M-551 Sheridan armored reconnaissance vehicles to support the 82nd Airborne Division with light armor support until after Operation Desert Storm.
Lineage
Constituted 13 January 1941 in the regular army as the 76th Tank Battalion
Activated 1 June 1941 at Fort Lewis Washington
Activated 1 August 1948 at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Assigned 10 November 1951 to the 7th Infantry Division (United States)
Reorganized and redesignated 2 October 1962 as the 73d Armor a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System.
Current status
The three currently active squadrons are all subordinated to the three Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina
1st Squadron is the Cavalry Squadron of the 2d Brigade Combat Team
3d Squadron is the Cavalry Squadron of the 1st Brigade Combat Team
5th Squadron is the Cavalry Squadron of the 3d Brigade Combat Team
Blazon
Per fess Azure and Gules, on a fess Or a hand in armor grasping a bolt of lightning, both Vert.
On a wreath of the colors Or and Azure, issuing from a flame of six tongues, three to dexter and three to sinister, charged with an arrowhead Argent within a crescent Vert, the head of a mace formed by a Korean Taeguk. Motto HONOR, FIDELITY, COURAGE.
The shield is divided red and blue per fess, with a fess of gold thereon, which are the three colors of the shoulder sleeve insignia of the armored tank forces. The lightning bolt is symbolical of the striking power of the organization.
The six tongues of the flames represent the unit’s six decorations. The crescent and arrowhead symbolize the Algeria-French Morocco and southern France assaults, World War II, and the colors red and green are used to represent the French Croix de Guerre awarded for the Italian campaigns. The mace in the arms of Colmar suggested the mace head to refer to that campaign. The Taeguk represents the Korean War and the three Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations from that nation. The mace also alludes to the striking power of armor.
The coat of arms was originally approved for the 756th Tank Battalion, Light on 15 May 1942. It was redesignated for the 756th Tank Battalion on 22 November 1943. The insignia was redesignated for the 73d Tank Battalion on 23 October 1953. It was redesignated for the 73d Armor on 19 March 1963. It was amended to add the crest on 15 December 1965. It was redesignated effective 25 February 2004, for the 73d Cavalry Regiment.