Grandpa's Unit

A picture of my grandfather in uniform sits beside my chair here at home. He served with the 28th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron in World War 2, part of the reorganized 6th Cavalry Regiment. The 6th Cav was an important and highly decorated part of Patton's Third Army, which marched across Europe to defeat Nazi Germany.

However, precious little of this information came from Grandpa while he was with us. He avoided most serious talk of his time in the Army. So I've been doing a little research.

Here's the current Wikipedia article on the 6th Cav. It covers the history of the regiment from the Civil War to the Indian Wars to the Battle of San Juan hill alongside the Rough Riders in Cuba. It shows the unicorn lapel pin my grandfather wore on his uniform and gives a brief description of the units history in World War 2. More info here.

One of those actions was during the Battle of the Bulge where the units of the 6th were recognized for bravery in the Harlange Pocket. This painting depicts the action. The unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, which is a prestigious award.

The units of the 6th Cav are now aviation units spread throughout the army, mostly flying Apache helicopters.