Cav Memorial

1st Cavalry Division Memorial

“THE NATION THAT FORGETS ITS DEFENDERS WILL ITSELF BE FORGOTTEN”
Calvin Coolidge

The 1st Cavalry Division Memorial honoring the Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division that served and sacrificed in Iraq was dedicated on 4 April 2006. A rededication ceremony for the Memorial was conducted on 16 May 2008 after the addition of the names of the fallen from the Division's deployment to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. This Memorial would not have been possible without the generous donations of many individuals, businesses, and foundations that provided the funds to construct this fitting Memorial and to add the names of the fallen from subsequent deployments. The 1st Cavalry Division Association Museum Foundation is grateful for the generosity and support of every donor that contributed to this project.

This Memorial currently honors the fallen Troopers assigned/attached to the 1st Cavalry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. These Troopers came from across our nation. They are America’s sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, and they represent all races, backgrounds and nationalities. They were Army Reservists, Army National Guard, and Regular Forces, all fighting the War on Terrorism!

Memorial Description

(Photo by C4 SIS)

The Memorial's foundation is formed in the shape of the 1st Cavalry Division patch and is approximately 32 feet wide and 45 feet long. The foundation floor replicates the 1st Cav’s desert patch – tan tiles with a black granite stripe and horses head. Under illumination the patch duplicates the “official” yellow and black patch.

Inside the Memorial centered on the black stripe is a bronze statue, commissioned and built in Iraq , depicting just one of the many First Team operations across Central Iraq providing aid and support to the Iraqi people. The statue, crafted from an actual photo, is of two 1st Cav Troopers rescuing an Iraqi child caught in a mortar attack in Baghdad , is a fitting commemoration of the Division’s entire mission. Our Troopers are symbolic of all U.S. efforts to provide security, stability, and support until the fledging Iraqi democracy can take hold with the child symbolic of the U.S. commitment to Iraq’s future. The statue base is of black granite and shows the brigade level crests that participated in the 1st Cavalry Division's mission during OIF II.

The Memorial’s panels are of black granite from Bangalore, India; from the same mountain the Vietnam Memorial granite was mined. The lettering is light gray in color, the natural color of the abraded stone, which contrasts sharply with the polished black surface, making it extremely legible. The panel base is Sierra White granite from California. The back panels are seven (7) feet in height that taper down to three (3) feet. The entrance is twenty-five (25) feet wide.

The names are listed in chronological order, according to the date of casualty, within each day the names are alphabetized. The list starts on the left side and travels around the right side of the memorial ending on the back of the memorial. Space is available to continue the names from further deployments. Engraved on the right front entrance is the Purple Heart and on the left front entrance the Bronze Star. The “Soldier’s Cross” – boots, with a reversed rifle with helmet - is also engraved on the inside. The National Colors are embossed on the back panel on the inside and a 1st Cavalry Division patch and National Colors are on the reverse side. Etched into the black granite is a copy of the oil painting of the 1st Cavalry Division’s Iraqi mission entitled “Turning the Corner” by well known military artist Mr. James Dietz and commissioned by the 1st Cavalry Division Association Museum Foundation.

The Memorial entrance contains a ‘Mission Plaque’ with a brief mission history along with a colored map showing the 1st Cavalry Division and its assigned/attached unit’s area of responsibility during both of the division’s deployments. Black granite donor plaques were installed off to the side of the Memorial to commemorate the very generous donations that helped build this Memorial.

Memorial Funding

Our initial estimate indicated that we needed approximately $250,000 to construct this granite memorial and to provide funds for maintenance, upkeep and possible future expansion if/when the 1st Cavalry Division returns to Iraq. The $23,000 statue was purchased with contributions from the Troopers and donations received in Iraq. We have raised an additional $280,000 toward the cost of the Granite Memorial Wall and the Cavalry Patch foundation. Your generous contributions have helped us exceed our funding goal and are greatly appreciated. All funds donated for the Memorial were used for construction of the Memorial and are currently being used for the additions and maintenance of the Memorial. Plaques recognizing the generosity of our donors have been emplaced adjacent to the Memorial.

Donations to fund future additions for the Memorial should be sent to the 1st Cavalry Division Association Museum Foundation, 302 N. Main St., Copperas Cove, TX 76522-1703. Please indicate that the donation is for the Memorial.

The Mid Texas Corvette Club sponsored a Car Show on Saturday October 12, 2008 with proceeds from the car show benefitting the 1st Cavalry Division Memorial and the 4th Infantry Division Memorial which are both on Fort Hood, Texas. The Car Show was held in the Copperas Cove, Texas City Park.

Click here to see a list of our generous donors.

Photos of the 1st Cavalry Division Memorial and the Dedication Ceremony are below.

An overhead photograph of the Memorial on Cooper Field at Fort Hood, Texas. (Photo by C4 SIS)

The statue of two Division Troopers with a child is set on a pedestal is the centerpiece of the Memorial. The statue was constructed in Iraq by an Iraqi artist from a photograph of an actual event. (Photo by C4 SIS)

A Soldier from the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) visits the 1st Cavalry Division’s Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial March 31. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Jeffrey Ledesma, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

An etching of the James Dietz print “Turning the Corner” was the final panel to be installed in the 1st Cavalry Division’s Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Jeffrey Ledesma, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

The 1st Cavalry Division’s Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial stands on the division’s Cooper Field. The memorial panels contain the names of the 168 Soldiers killed during the division’s deployment to Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Jeffrey Ledesma, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division Honor Guard post the colors at the First Team’s Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial’s dedication ceremony on Cooper Field April 4. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Jeffrey Ledesma, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

LTG Peter W. Chiarelli, former Commander of the First Team, delivers his remarks during the Dedication Ceremony of the Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial. (U.S. Army Photo by 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

MG Joseph F. Fil, Jr., commanding general of the 1st Cavalry Division, addresses more than 1,000 Soldiers, family members and friends of First Team troops, past and present, at the division’s Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial dedication ceremony at Fort Hood on 4 April. (Photo by Ed Wolff, Fort Hood Training Support Center)

Isabel Shondee of Ganado, Arizona, walks away with a rubbing of her son’s name from the 1st Cavalry Division’s Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial. Her son PFC Harry Shondee Jr. was a Trooper with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. (U.S. Army photo by PFC Jeffrey Ledesma, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

CSM Raymond Gould, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, traces the name of one of his Trooper's from the granite wall after the memorial dedication ceremony at Fort Hood, April 4. CSM Gould served with the fallen trooper, SSG Joseph Rodriguez, as his command sergeant major during Operation Iraqi Freedom in the 8th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by SGT Paula Taylor, 4th BCT Public Affairs)

CSM (R) Dennis Webster, Executive Director of the 1st Cavalry Division Association, addresses those attending the Dedication of the Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

The Division Honor Guard salutes as the smoke from the cannons being fired by the Salute Battery drifts behind them during the Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial Dedication Ceremony. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Gold Star families and their escorts visit the Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial after the Dedication ceremony ended. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Flowers are left at the Memorial by family members attending the Memorial Dedication on 4 April, 2006. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

(Photo by C4 SIS)

As of: 10/16/2008