“... Uh...BZZZZZZZZZZZT! Wrong...I served in the Cav, ...
BTW, don’t tell members of the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Detachment that the horse cav was deactivated in 1943. They’ll wonder what they’ve been doing, riding horses all these years. ...”
Sundry USA units might pride themselves on inserting the word “cavalry” into regimental designations, but (as wku man conceded) those outfits have been equipped with mechanized vehicles for more than a couple generations. Not the same thing.
Anyone who fancies that First Cav’s Horse Det contributes something beyond morale/heritage augmentation or ceremonial frippery ought to recheck their calendar.
In early 1981 - some years before motivational posters grew trendy - I chanced across a poster adorning the desk of a colleague. On it was printed a memorable aphorism: “Every country should have two armies: one for the parade ground, and one for the battlefield. That second army is the one in which I’d like to fight.”
“...I have my spurs, too.... It’s a Cav thing...if you were never in the Cav, you wouldn’t understand. ...”
wku man is not exactly the first poster I’ve encountered, who insists I cannot possibly “understand” because I didn’t share much of his duty history. I concede the point. None of which answers the key question, about who’s doing the better job of grasping the overall military situation, or the details.
I could write more than an encyclopedia, on what some folks think they understand but don’t, concerning the military. Some of it would be very funny, but a depressingly large fraction would be less than pleasant. I’ll refrain; I’ve no wish to bore the forum into a coma. Besides, obtaining publication approval from the special security offices (yes, I’d have to seek permission from more than one) would be the dreariest hassle.
In defense, I will rely on Winston Spencer Churchill. Summing up the impotence of horse cavalry during the Great War, he observed that on its battlefields, the only thing horse soldiers could actually see through to completion was to cook rice for the infantry.
You can spout off all the stuff from encyclopedias you want, but the basic fact remains: I did it, and you read about it. See you in Fiddler's Green. Oh wait, you were never Cav, so you won't be allowed in.
Fiddler's Green
[Verse 1]
Halfway down the trail to Hell
In a shady meadow green
Are the Souls of all dead Troopers camped
Near a good old-time canteen,
And this eternal resting place is
know as Fiddlers' Green
[Verse 2]
Marching past straight through to Hell
The Infantry are seen
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marines,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen
Dismount at Fiddlers' Green
[Verse 3]
Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene,
No Trooper ever gets to Hell
Ere he's emptied his canteen.
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddlers' Green
[Verse 4]
And so when man and horse go down
Beneath a sabre keen,
Or on roaring charge of fierce melee
You stop a bullet clean.
And the hostiles come to get your scalp
Just empty your canteen,
And put your pistol to your head
And go to Fiddlers' Green.
SCOUTS OUT! CAVALRY HO!