Photo By Bernhard Lashleyleidner | Sgt. 1st Class Clint Mitchell, left, and Sgt. 1st Class David Henderson, right, both...... read more read more
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The “Black Knights” of the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, marked their one year anniversary with the “Big Red One” Sept. 29.
The battalion was deactivated with the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Grafenwoehr, Germany, in 2013, but now, one of the Army’s oldest tank battalions is restored.
The Black Knights were reactivated at Fort Riley and reassigned to the 1st Inf. Div. in September 2014.
The Soldiers rebuilt their unit from the ground up, said Command Sgt. Maj. Dwayne Uhlig, the senior noncommissioned officer of the 3rd Bn., 66th Armor Regt.
The unit started with 12 Soldiers in formation and now has more than 700 troops, putting it at more than 90 percent full strength, said Lt. Col. Jorge Cordeiro, commander, 3rd Bn., 66th Armor Regt., 1st ABCT,
1st Inf. Div.
Most of the battalion’s arrivals came straight from Basic and Advanced Individual Training.
“One of my proudest moments in my career has been the honor of commanding this battalion, generating this battalion and reestablishing the legacy of the 66th Armor Regiment,” Cordeiro said. “I’m extremely the credit goes to the leaders and Soldiers who have made this organization their own.”
The Black Knights were one of the first armored tank battalions in the Army and were attached to the 1st Inf., Div., during World War I.
The battalion traces its lineage back to the 301st Tank Battalion, which fought in that war.
“The 301st Tank Battalion was the only heavy tank battalion to see action in World War I in the attack on the Hindenburg Line,” said Chap. (Capt.) Christopher Cairns, spiritual leader of the 3rd Bn., 66th Armor Regt. “I can’t say enough about unit history.
I love it and I think it does a lot for a Soldier’s mentality to know that they’re part of an elite unit.”
Within the Black Knights’ history, many heroes have been present, Cairns said.
Capt. James Burt received the Medal of Honor for his role in the Battle of Aachen.
During the 10-day battle more than 70 years ago, Burt led combined forces to isolate a German garrison. He dismounted his tank and directed infantry and tank fire.
He was wounded at the start of the battle, but continued to lead his men, inspiring his forces to victory, according to the award citation.
The battalion headquarters will be rededicated in honor of Burt with a limited-edition digital print of his actions at the Battle of Aachen on display, Cordeiro said.
Other notable members of the battalion include Dwight D. Eisenhower, who, as a captain, trained the Black Knights’ ancestor unit, the 301st Tank Corps, and Gen. George Patton, who commanded the battalion
prior to World War II.
In addition to the print and commemoration, the Black Knights are working to display two M47 Patton tanks from the Battle of Normandy in front of their headquarters and motor pool. The tanks arrived at the battalion Aug. 8 with help from Robert Smith, supervisory curator of the Fort Riley Museums.
“In our history, every point of reference for what right looks like is embedded in the stories of those who have gone before,” Cairns said. “So as we go forward into the future, we want to work hard, stand tall and be proud of what we get to be a part of.”
Part of that future includes a gunnery, the battalion’s second, in October on Fort Riley’s ranges. The gunneries are in addition to the Black Knights’ National Training Center rotation earlier this year
at Fort Irwin, California.
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.27.2015 12:38 |
| Story ID: | 180051 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 135 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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