History of the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division

"Long Knife"

The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division was activated in a ceremony conducted on October 18, 2005, at Noel Field on Fort Bliss, Texas.

Colonel Stephen Twitty was chosen as the Long Knife Brigade’s first commander, with Command Sergeant Major Stephan Frennier as the BCT’s top enlisted Soldier, heralding a symbolic return of a 1st Cavalry Division presence to the site of its formal activation on September 13, 1921, at Fort Bliss, Texas.

One of the first missions of the 4th Brigade Combat Team was to build combat power and prepare for an upcoming deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This process began with few Soldiers and no equipment, and culminated when the brigade’s Soldiers honed their skills and validated their abilities in August 2006 during a rotation to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California.

In October 2006, almost a year to the day after activation, the 4th BCT deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08.  Performing counter-insurgency operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 4th BCT controlled all of the battlespace in Ninevah Province, located in northern Iraq and containing Mosul – the 2nd largest city in Iraq – as well as Tal’Afar and Qayyarah.  Their focus was training the Iraqi Security Forces, promoting responsible governance, and providing security to the Iraqi people.  They were responsible for transferring two Iraqi Army divi­sions away from Coalition dependence to full Iraqi Ground Forces Command control. They enabled the Provincial Government to fully exercise its ability to assist the Iraqi people in providing for their future.

On December 11, 2007, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Brigade transferred authority of their Ninevah Province battlespace to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, closing the first chapter of its new history and marking an incredible journey as the fastest BCT to go from stand-up to deployment and return in the new era of the total Army transformation process.

The 4th BCT inactivated on 4 March 2008 and was reflagged as the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.  The colors were transferred to Fort Hood, Texas and the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division was inactivated and reflagged as the 4th BCT, 1st Cavalry Division on 7 March 2008 bringing the entire 1st Cavalry Division back to Fort Hood.

During the 4BCT’s train-up for deployment, the unit conducted rotations at both the National Training  Center (NTC) and the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC).  In June 2008 the brigade deployed to three provinces in southern Iraq in support of Multi-National Division-South during Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-10.  The brigade headquarters along with four battalions, including a Romanian Infantry battalion  were located at COB Adder in Dhi Qar Province, and three battalions were located in Maysan Province at FOB Garryowen in the north, FOB Hunter in the south and along the Iraq-Iran border.

On 4 June 2009 the brigade transferred authority to the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division and redeployed back to Fort Hood, Texas. 

Over the next 15 months the brigade conducted numerous training exercises to train their newest Troopers and get ready to deploy back to Iraq for the third time since they were activated.  The first BCT of the First Team to deploy for Operation New Dawn to train and assist the Iraqi Security Forces in September 2010. 

Trained and ready for their mission the Troopers of the Long Knife Brigade are adding to the storied legend of the First Team.