5th Squadron 73rd Cavalry Regiment

The 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment served with the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Its history includes armored antecedents and a modern reconnaissance chapter distinguished by combat in Iraq.

Armor and Cavalry Chapters

The squadron's official lineage incorporates earlier tank organizations. A 5th Battalion, 73rd Armor was activated at Fort Knox in 1983 and inactivated in 1987. The later cavalry designation reflects another organizational change, not continuous service under one title.

The 5th Squadron was activated on January 16, 2006, and assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Its cavalry mission brought reconnaissance and security capabilities into the modular brigade.

Turki Village, Iraq

The Army awarded the squadron a Presidential Unit Citation for service in the Turki Village area of Iraq. The official lineage certificate records the award as “Turki Village Iraq.”

Army coverage of the award presentation in May 2011 describes the recognized combat period as November 2006 through January 2007. It should not be reduced to a single isolated engagement or confused with the squadron's entire deployment.

Contemporary reporting from Diyala describes the squadron working with Iraqi Army forces around the Turki area. The mission combined combat against insurgent positions with efforts to establish security and sustain a presence in the surrounding communities.

Preserving Squadron Service

The squadron's own campaign record and decorations provide the basis for its history. Those honors should not automatically be attributed to every other 73rd Cavalry squadron. AAC's collection recognizes the Soldiers of 5-73 and the reconnaissance community that developed within the Panther Brigade.

Airborne Apparel Company honors this heritage through reproductions and original designs for the people who served and those who remember them.