About the National Training Center and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Museum
The story of Fort Irwin begins with Father Francisco Garces in 1796 and the
Old Spanish Trail; Captain John C. Fremont with his guide Kit Carson
surveying water-to-water; 1st Dragoons, Company K, that ran patrols out of
Camp Cady from 1860 to 1866 and established the first military camp in the
region; and the Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range that became Camp and Fort Irwin.
In 1940 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Mojave
Anti-Aircraft Range, a military reservation of approximately 1,000 square
miles, known today as the National Training Center.
The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment was first established and deployed from
Fort Myer, Virginia, and was sent to the Philippine Islands in June 1901 for
the Philippine Insurrection, then to Cuba for the Cuban Pacification from
1906 to 1909. When the revolutionary Pancho Villa raided the town of
Columbus, New Mexico, the Regiment was deployed to Mexico and the Punitive
Expedition of 1916 began. The “Last Charge” in U.S. Army history
was conducted on 5 May 1916.
As World War II developed, guarding the Mexico-American border was no longer
necessary, and the Regiment was sent to Europe and deployed to the Ardennes
for the Battle of the Bulge. From 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, the
largest battle fought by the United States and the largest land battle of
World War II was fought. The “Border Legion” became the name
given to the troops in Germany after the war, and the “Cold War Heats
Up” period lasted from March 1957 to 1964.
The Regiment was in Vietnam from 7 September 1966 to March 1972, where the
nickname “Blackhorse” became a legend and three Medal of Honor
recipients emerged from its ranks.
The Warsaw Pact and the legitimacy of Eastern Europe’s Communist
military ended when the infamous Berlin Wall came down on 9 November 1989.
The unexpected Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990 triggered the Gulf
Crisis that gripped the world’s attention. The Regiment served as the
fresh troops that would go in if a counteroffensive attack came. None
developed, so they returned to Germany.
On 16 October 1994 the Regiment reflagged, and “The Best of the
Best” now trains today’s Army at Fort Irwin, California. The
Regiment now serves as the Opposing Force, using Russian doctrine as a
learning tool.
From January 2005 to 17 March 2006 the Regiment was deployed to Iraqi Freedom
and the War on Terrorism. Returning to Fort Irwin, it reorganized as a
deployable Heavy Brigade Combat Team while continuing to serve in rotational
support for the military today. “Lead, Train, Win” is the motto
of Fort Irwin.