'Quarterhorse' Soldiers celebrate squadron's 162nd anniversary

By Sgt. Dasol Choi, 1st ABCT Public AffairsMarch 28, 2017

'Quarterhorse' Soldiers celebrate squadron's 162nd anniversary
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP HOVEY, South Korea -- Sgt. Maj. Travis Wirth, the operations sergeant major of 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, hangs campaign streamers to the squadron's flag during a celebration cerem... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Quarterhorse' Soldiers celebrate squadron's 162nd anniversary
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP HOVEY, South Korea -- Lt. Col. Brad Laauwe, the commander of 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, delivers a speech during a celebration ceremony for the squadron's 162nd anniversary at the ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
'Quarterhorse' Soldiers celebrate squadron's 162nd anniversary
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – CAMP HOVEY, South Korea -- Troopers from the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, cut cakes during a celebration ceremony for the squadron's 162nd anniversary at the Camp Hovey physical fitness c... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

CAMP HOVEY, South Korea - Troopers from 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, celebrated the squadron's 162nd anniversary at the Camp Hovey physical fitness center, on Camp Hovey, South Korea, March 24.

Since the 4th Cav. Rgmt. was organized on March 26, 1855 at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri, the regiment and its troopers have participated in several campaigns including the Civil War, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War.

To commemorate the historic legacy of the regiment and the squadron, troopers from the "Quarterhorse" squadron hosted a celebration ceremony while on a nine-month rotation in South Korea.

"This legacy that has been earned through the blood, sweat, and tears of those Troopers that have gone before you is given to you as a gift," Lt. Col. Brad Laauwe, squadron's commander said during the event. "Each one of you has an opportunity to build on that legacy. It is up to you whether a mark you leave builds on the squadron's great legacy or does something to tear it down."

During the ceremony, Sgt. Maj. Travis Wirth, the squadron's operations sergeant major, decorated the squadron's color with each of the streamers that the squadron has earned for past 162 years, followed by a cake-cutting ceremony that included the oldest and the youngest service members within the squadron.

"It was fun to celebrate the squadron's birthday overseas with brothers-in-arms in South Korea," said Sgt. William Mullen, a wheeled vehicle mechanic from Troop D, 1st Sqdn., 4th Cav. Rgmt., 1st ABCT.

The "Quarterhorse" squadron is known as one of the oldest and the most decorated cavalry squadron in the Army, with a total of 64 campaign streamers.