1. Who is the most distinguished member of the Regiment?
A: General John J. Pershing
2. What was the first battle the Regiment fought in?
A: The battle of Williamsburg, 5 May 1862
3. When was the regiment constituted?
A: 4 May 1861
4. Name three singular distinguishments in regard to the 6th U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War?
A: (1) It was the only regular cavalry regiment raised during the war.
A: (2) From its inception, it gave birth to the modern U.S. Army Veterinarian Corps.
A: (3) The largest of the regular cavalry regiments in 1862, it was the smallest at the war's end.
5. Who was the regiment’s inaugural sergeant major?
A: Sergeant Major Samuel Marmaduke Whitside.
6. What two accomplishments are most notable about the career of Samuel Whitside?
A: (1) He was the first of only three soldiers to have held the ranks of sergeant-major and general.
A: (2) He founded Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
7. Describe Adna Romanza Chaffee.
A: Trooper Chaffee began his career as a Private, Co. K, 6th U.S. Cavalry in 1861. He spent 27 years with the regiment before being promoted to Major and transferred to the 9th U.S. Cavalry. As a general, he commanded the China Relief Expedition. He was appointed as the second U.S. Army chief of staff.
8. Who was the regiment’s first enlisted soldier?
A: Pvt. Henry Myers, a native of St. Lawrence, NY. During the Civil War, he served in all three major branches of service (Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry).
9. Who was the regiment’s youngest enlistee?
A: Buglers Frederick Mealheim & Isaac Newton Light (both 14 years of age).
10. Who was the regiment’s first casualty?
A: Pvt. Adam Eberle, Co. G. He died six days after being recruited, 9 Aug 1861.
11. Whom is the regiment’s first soldier(s) wounded in battle?
A: COL David Hunter was wounded in the neck & cheek during the Battle of Bull Run.
A: 2LT Hugh McQuade was severely wounded in the leg during the Battle of Bull Run.
12. Who became the regiment’s first prisoner of war?
A: 2LT Hugh McQuade. Captured at Bull Run.
13. Who was the regiment’s first killed in action?
A: Pvt. Suel Merkle, Co. E. KIA during the Battle of Williamsburg.
14. What is known as the regiment’s “Red Letter Day?”
A: The Battle of Fairfield, 3 July 1863 (part of the Gettysburg Campaign). The regiment was utterly decimated with 242 casualties.
15. Describe the original composition of the troop.
A: 1 x Captain, 1x First Lieutenant, 1 x Second Lieutenant
A: 1 x First Sergeant, 1 x Quartermaster Sergeant, 4 x Sergeants, 8 x Corporals
A: 2 x Buglers, 2 x Farriers, 1 x Saddler, 1 x Wagoner, 72 x Privates
16. What is most notable about the Regiment’s first commander?
A: COL David Hunter never served a single day with the 6th U.S. Cavalry, although he was the official regimental commander (14 May 1861 – 31 Jul 1866).
17. From which troop does each modern squadron take their lineage?
A: 1st Squadron – A Troop; 2nd Squadron, B Troop; 3d Squadron, C Troop; 4th Squadron, D Troop; 5th Squadron, E Troop; 6th Squadron, F Troop; 7th Squadron, G Troop
18. When was the regimental Distinctive Unit Insignia authorized?
A: 11 August 1922
19. Name the various regimental designations.
A: 3d U.S. Cavalry Regiment
A: 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment
A: 6th Cavalry (Horse / Portee)
A: 6th Cavalry Group (Mechanized)
A: 6th Cavalry Group (Mechanized / Reinforced)
A: 6th Constabulary Regiment
A: 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment
A: 6th Air Cavalry Regiment
20. What distinguished the 1st Squadron over the other squadrons during the Civil War?
A: Cos. B and H comprised the first squadron, which was also designated as the flank squadron. This was the only squadron initially equipped with carbines in addition to the sabers and pistols common to the rest of the regiment’s soldiers. It was their task to provide skirmishers and serve as the advance guard for the regiment.
21. Which 6th Cavalryman held office as Secretary of the Army?
A: Former Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White, Jr. He commanded F Troop, 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment, April 1970 - January 1971.
22. What does “Ducit Amor Patriae” mean?
A: Led by Love of Country!
23. What is Lt. Charles B. Gatewood best known for?
A: For gallantry in going alone at the risk of his life into the hostile Apache camp of Geronimo in Sonora. In 1886, he played a key role in ending the Geronimo Campaign by persuading Geronimo to surrender to the Army.
24. Who is William H. Forwood?
A: Forwood was a surgeon with the 6th U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War. He rose to the position of Surgeon General of the United States Army, 1902.
25. Where was the regiment’s longest station?
A: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia (1919 – 1942).
26. Operation JUST CAUSE (the invasion of Panama) was the first combat deployment for the AH-64 Apache helicopter. Which unit fired the first shots from an AH-64 in combat?
A: The 7th Squadron, 6th Cavalry.
27. How many companies comprised the Regiment (1865 - 1900).
A: 12 Companies (A thru M, excluding J).
28. Why was the letter J excluded?
A: The cursive letters “I” and “J” were identical. As such, in order to avoid confusion, the letter “J” was excluded.
29. Who was the first U.S. Army Reserve unit to be outfitted with the AH-64 Apache helicopter?
A: The 7th Squadron, 6th Cavalry.
30. Name each squadron’s nickname?
A: 1-6 CAV (Fighting Sixth), 2-6 CAV (Lightning Horse), 3-6 CAV (Heavy Cav), 4-6 CAV (Redcatchers), 5-6 CAV (Knight Raiders), 6-6 CAV (Six Shooters), 7-6 CAV (Fast Guns)
31. What was unique about Troop L (1891 – 1893)?
A: The troop was entirely comprised of Brule Sioux Indians from the Rosebud Agency.
A: The troop was chosen as honor guards for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
32. What was unique about Troop H during the Spanish-American War?
A: Troop H served as escort and provost guard for General Brooke’s headquarters and accompanied that expedition to Puerto Rico.
33. Upon Spain’s formal surrender on 17 July 1898, what honor was given to the regimental band?
A: The regimental band had the honor of being selected to salute the flag as it was raised on the Palace, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, to replace the Spanish ensign.
34. When is “6th Armored Cavalry Day?”
A: In 1951, the City of Straubing declared 22 December "6th Armored Cavalry Day".
35. What unique gift was presented to the regiment after WWII?
A: Shield of Bavaria, presented by the Bavarian Government, 1948.
A: It is the only known official recognition given an American unit by a German State.
36. During the 1950s, the Air Section, 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment was nicknamed what?
A: The Unicorn Air Force.
37. What was the composition of the 1950s Air Section?
A: 8 x L19 Bird Dogs and 1 x H-13 Sioux.
38. What vehicle did the 6th Cavalry initially test in 1941?
A: The Bantam Car (aka, the Jeep).
39. What was the Last official action against the American Indian?
A: In October 1906, when the regiment was called upon to intercept a band of White River Ute Indians.
40. When was the 6th U.S. Cavalry Association formed?
A: 1885, by the survivors of the Civil War.
41. What was the 6th Cavalry Group's unofficial nickname during WWII?
A: Patton's Household Cavalry
42. What was the Army Information Service (AIS)?
A: In 1944, the 6th Cavalry Group (Mechanized) established the AIS for Patton's 3d Army while in England and Normandy.
A: Until 1 November 1944 the group operated the Army Information Service for the Third Army, performing an invaluable mission
A: for the Army Commander in keeping him completely informed as to the activities and location of his forward troops.
43. For which action did the Regiment earn the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC)?
A: For breaking the back of German resistance in the Harlange Pocket, part of the Battle of the Bulge.
44. Which two squadrons were deployed upon the commencement of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF)?
A: The 2nd and 7th Squadrons, 6th Cavalry. Both squadrons earned the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy (19 March - 1 May 2003).
45. Who was the Regiment’s first historian?
A: MG William Giles Harding Carter. He published “From Yorktown to Santiago with the 6th U.S. Cavalry” in 1900.
46. Where are the modern squadrons currently stationed?
A: 1-6 CAV (Fort Riley, KS)
A: 2-6 CAV (Schofield Barracks, HI)
A: 3-6 CAV (Fort Bliss, TX)
A: 4-6 CAV (Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA)
A: 6-6 CAV (Fort Drum, NY)
A: 7-6 CAV (Conroe, TX)
47. Which post has a “6th Armored Cavalry Road?”
A: Fort Meade, MD
48. What unique regimental tradition was observed during ceremonies?
A: The junior lieutenant would read the regimental Lineage & Honors.
49. What was the first self-deployment by an AH-64 Attack Helicopter Squadron?
A: 6-6 CAV, as part of Operation PROVIDE COMFORT, 1991.
50. In 2009, what was unique about 6-6 CAVs organizational structure?
A: Elements from the squadron integrated with C, 1-10 ATK “Blue Max,” combining into one dual airframe flight company, the only one like it in the army. It consisted of 6 x OH58D and 6 x AH-64D helicopters.
51. Which unit was the first to receive the AH-64A Apache Helicopter?
A: 3d Squadron, 6th Cavalry.
52. Who was the first Heavy Attack Reconnaissance Squadron (HARS) to integrate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into AH-64E operations?
A: 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry.