3D Armored Cavalry Regiment (United States)

3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (United States)

The 3rd Cavalry Regiment, formerly 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, ("Brave Rifles") is a regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood, TX.

The Regiment has a history in the United States Army that dates back to 19 May 1845, when it was Constituted in the Regular Army as the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. This unit was reorganized at the start of the American Civil War as the 3rd U.S. Cavalry Regiment on 3 August 1861. In January 1943, the Regiment was re-designated the as the 3d Cavalry Group (Mechanized). Today they are equipped with stryker vehicles. The 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment was the last heavy armored cavalry regiment in the U.S. Army until it officially switched over to a Stryker regiment on 16 November 2011. It will retain its lineage as the 3d Cavalry Regiment.

Under various names it has seen action during ten major conflicts: the Indian Wars, the Mexican-American War, the American Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, World War I, World War II, the Persian Gulf War, SFOR in Bosnia, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Twenty-three of the Regiment’s troopers received the Medal of Honor, all awarded for gallantry in action between 1871 and 1898. The list includes William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, whose award was rescinded in 1916 for not being a member of the military. Cody's medal was reinstated in 1989.