Also referred to as a unit crest, the Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) of the 75th Cavalry Regiment was originally approved for the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion on 9 July 1942. It would redesignated twice over the next ten years, first for the 330th Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron on 9 February 1948 and then for 705th Tank Battalion on 25 July 1952. It was given its current designation, along with an updated description, on 18 October 2004.
Interestingly, the Cavalry color of yellow is completely absent, and there are no images here such as a saber, horse, rider, spurs, birds or wings (for Airborne Cavalry), etc. associated with Cavalry. Instead, it points to the organization’s original mission as a Tank Destroyer and later as a Tank Battalion, with a single explosion and cloud of smoke denoting a direct hit and reinforcing the Battalion motto, “One Round,” as to how many attempts the unit needs to destroy the enemy.
Distinctive Unit Insignias are worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry regiment was formed in 2004 as part of the Army’s transformation to a modular, Brigade-based system. It is a component of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and comprises just one Squadron, the 1st. It deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan several times in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and the outstanding service of both the Squadron as a whole and individual units in the Squadron has been recognized with several military decorations.
Among these are two Presidential Unit Citations, both for service in Afghanistan; a pair of Valorous Unit Awards, one for a deployment in Iraq in 2007 – 2008 and another for action Afghanistan between June and August of 2010; and three Meritorious Unit Commendations, the most recently awarded for service in Afghanistan between May 2016 and January 2017.
As of Spring 2023, the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment remains assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. Its Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, as well as its three Troops and an attached Brigade Support Company, are based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.