FORT BENNING, Ga. (Oct. 22, 2018) – Two dedications to the 14th Cavalry Regiment took place at Fort Benning, Georgia, Oct. 18: A historical display of the regiment’s 117-year history was opened at Patton Hall at Harmony Church, and a memorial was opened at Patton Park near the Benning Road entrance.
Both the historical display and memorial were subdivided into five segments of the unit’s history, from their mounted days from 1901 to 1942 when the unit took part in the Philippines Campaign and the Mexican Punitive Expedition; through their participation in World War II beginning with their landing at Omaha Beach, through the Battle of the Bulge and their capture of the Ludendorf Bridge; their transformation from 1945 to 1948 as the 14th Constabulary Regiment, their time spent in Germany from 1948 to 1972 in support of U.S. efforts in the Cold War; and their current period from reactivation in 2000 to their seven deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom to the present day.
Gordon Bratz, retired colonel and executive vice president of the 14th Cavalry Regiment Association, helped curate the collection on display at Patton Hall.
“This is educational,” said Bratz of the display. “The whole idea was to keep alive the sense of the regiment – not this regiment only,” said Bratz. “We want to get the veterans and the active-duty linked up. This is our way of saying, ‘This is who we are, you are a part of us, and we are part of you.’”
Joseph Leonard Jarrett was a Soldier with the 14th Cavalry Regiment in Bad Hersfeld, Germany, from 1962 to 1963. His fatigues from his time in the regiment were on display in at Patton Hall.
“It’s really fantastic,” he said. “Part of my life is in there and will stay there for a pretty long time.”
The 14th Cavalry Regiment has two active squadrons. The 1st Squadron is at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and the 2nd Squadron is at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Representatives from both squadrons were on hand at the events.
Maj. Ian MacGregor, executive officer for 1st Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was at the memorial dedication, and he appreciated the thought put into the memorial as well as sharing the dedication with the 14th veterans of the Cold War.
“It is a beautiful and fitting tribute to the 14th regiment,” MacGregor said. “It’s great to share this experience with these vets from the Cold War, and just being able to share and experience their legacy. Really what they did in Germany contributed to guarantee us a world of peace.”
“This is a root, an anchor point, so that other members future, past and present, can come to,” said Maj. Patrick Yun, executive officer for the 2nd Squadron at Schofield Barracks. “Being in a cavalry regiment and to see other veterans who are associated with that, and to hear their stories is enlightening.”
For photos from the events, visit www.fortbenningphotos.com/Armor-School/Armor-School-Events/2018-10-18-14th-Cavalry-Regiment-Dedication.
Date Taken: | 10.22.2018 |
Date Posted: | 10.22.2018 09:53 |
Story ID: | 297214 |
Location: | FORT BENNING, GEORGIA, US |
Web Views: | 91 |
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