38th Cavalry Regiment

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The 38th Cavalry Regiment was a United States Army unit formed in 1916. It served as the regimental backbone for three reconnaissance squadrons (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) that carried out battlefield surveillance.

World War II actions:
- In 1942, the 3rd Reconnaissance Squadron joined the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Bliss, Texas.
- On November 21, 1943, it was redesignated as the 38th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized) in Exeter, England, and assigned to the 102nd Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized).
- It sailed from the New York Port of Embarkation on November 15, 1943, reached Scotland five days later, and landed in France on June 12, 1944, shortly after D-Day.
- The unit helped enter Paris on August 25, 1944, then moved into Belgium (September 4, 1944) and Germany (March 30, 1945).
- By August 1945 it was stationed at Prestice, Czechoslovakia.
- Returning to the United States, it was inactivated on November 28, 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. During the war, it was attached to the 102nd Cavalry Group (Mechanized).

Insignia and symbolism:
- The distinctive insignia features a green and yellow shield with a gold diagonal bend and a black tilting spear, flanked by five fleurs-de-lis, with the motto “Always In Front.” The colors green and yellow represent Armor; the spear denotes Cavalry heritage; the fleurs-de-lis symbolize European campaigns; and the diagonal bend represents the path between hostile lines in reconnaissance work. The insignia was first approved for the 38th Reconnaissance Battalion in 1951 and redesignated for the 38th Cavalry Regiment in 2008.

Campaigns:
- World War II: Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
- Operation Enduring Freedom