The 1st Cavalry Division Memorial honoring the soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division that served and sacrificed in Iraq was dedicated on 4 April 2006. The Memorial honors the fallen soldiers that were assigned or attached to the 1st Cavalry Division during its deployment to Iraq.
The foundation of the Memorial was formed in the shape of the 1st Cavalry Division patch and is approximately 32 feet wide and 45 feet long. The foundation floor is in the shape of the 1st Cavalry Divisions desert patch and is constructed of tan tiles with a black granite stripe and horses head. When lit, the patch resembles the official yellow and black patch of the 1st Cavalry division. Inside the center of the Memorial sitting on the black stripe is a bronze statue crafted from an actual photo of two 1st Cavalry Troopers rescuing an Iraqi child caught in a mortar attack in Baghdad. The statue base is of black granite and shows the brigade level crests that participated in the 1st Cavalry Division's mission.
The panels of the Memorial are cut from black granite from Bangalore, India; from the same mountain the Vietnam Memorial granite was mined. The lettering is light gray which contrasts sharply with the polished black surface. The panel base is Sierra White granite from California. The back panels are seven feet in height that taper down to three feet in the front. The entrance is twenty-five feet wide. The names are listed in order of the date of casualty. The list starts on the left side beginning with SFC Gregory B. Hicks who was the first casualty and ends on the right side with SPC Adam N. Brewer, the last 1st Cavalry Division casualty in Iraq.
The Purple Heart is engraved on the right front entrance and the Bronze Star is engraved on the left. The Soldier’s Cross,boots, with a reversed rifle with helmet is also engraved on the inside. The American Flag has been embossed on the back panel on the inside with a 1st Cavalry Division patch and American Flag on the back side. Also etched into the black granite is an image of an oil painting of the entitled “Turning the Corner” by military artist Mr. James Dietz. The Memorial entrance contains a plaque’with a brief mission history along and a map showing the 1st Cavalry Division and its areas of responsibility during the deployment.
Our most sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of the members of the 1st Cavalry Division Association Museum Foundation as well as the individuals, businesses and foundations whose generous donations provided the funds to construct the memorial.
Pam viewing Daniel's Panel
Rhea and Stacy Pintor viewing dad and husband Capt. Dennis Pintor's panel
Our escorts and guides for the ceremony, Staff Sergeant Wilkie and Sergeant McLean
We could not have found two finer soldiers, guides and friends
1st Cavalry Division Memorial Cooper Field Fort Hood, Texas