US Army Air Cav Patch 1 Air Cavalry Division Saudi Arabia Desert Shield

US Army Aviation Air Cav Patch 1 Air Cavalry Saudi Arabia Desert Shield Patch 1990 Desert Subdued Fully embroidered merrowed edge 134mm by 100mm five and five sixteenth inches by three and fifteen sixteenth inches.

Free Shipping

On its return from Vietnam in 1972 the Division was converted to a triple capabilities TRICAP Division adding mechanized armored infantry and artillery to its air mobile troops. The division was reorganised again in 1975 as a two brigade armoured division gaining a third brigade in 1984 provided by the Mississippi Army National Guards 155 Armoured Brigade. The division participated in numerous Return Of Forces To Germany REFORGER Exercises and was used to test new doctrinal concepts and equipment including the XM-1 tank with unit assignment and structure changing significantly including the disbandment of 1 Battalion 9 Cavalry Regiment.

Following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq at the end of September 1990 the Division without 155 Armoured Brigade began their Desert Shield deployment under VII Corps to Dhahran AB for the defense of Saudi Arabia moving west to Assembly Area Horse in the Saudi desert. After three months intensive training on the newly constructed Pegasus Range in the desert the Division could not be augmented with a third brigade and was assigned the role of the VII Corps reserve for Operation Desert Storm and with the start of the ground war 1 Cavalry Divisions elements carried out important ground and air assaults across the Iraqi border north of Basra commencing 19 20 February 1991 to draw Iraqi Divisions from Kuwait. The Divisions main deception thrust Operation Quick Strike commenced on 24 February1991 harassing and destroying Iraqi units on the brder with great success leading to General Norman Schwarzkopf order to Send in the First Team Destroy the Republican Guard. The Division commenced its proper attack into Iraq on 26 February taking on elements of five Iraqi Divisions and by mid afternoon 27 February 1991 had completed a high speed 306 Km move north and east across the Iraqi desert finding and destroying the Republican Guard and other enemy forces. On 28 February 1991 with Iraqi forces ejected from Kuwait and destroyed in Iraq a ceasefire was ordered and the Division undertook mopping up and POW operations in the Euphrates valley. The Division commenced its return to Fort Hood on 9 March 1991.

On its return the Division was assigned 1 Brigade 2 Armoured Division which was redesignated 3 Brigade 1 Cavalry Division and continued brigade deployments to the Kuwait Iraq border under Operation Intrinsic Action from 1992 to 2002.

This patch dates from 1990.