About Us

The 102nd and 117th Cavalry organizations grew from the 102nd Cavalry Regiment whose history goes back to 1890 and the creation of what came to be known as the First New Jersey Cavalry and eventually, the Essex Troop.  The 102nd has made some very unique accomplishments and gives New Jerseyans a rich legacy they can be proud of.  

The official Lineage and Honors of the 102nd, according to they Army’s Center for Military History goes back to 1913, even though we trace the regiment’s origins to 1890.  The squadron was first organized on May 29th, 1913 as part of the New Jersey National Guard and was named the 1st Cavalry Squadron with its  Headquarters at Newark.

The first time the squadron was mustered into Federal service was June 21st, 1916 at Sea Girt; the squadron mustered out of Federal service was October 21st, that same year and back in on July 28th1917, drafted on August 5th and then reorganized into what the Army needed in Europe.  This practice remains common today.  

The practice of reorganizing an element to meet the needs of the Combatant Commander illustrates the need to adapt to the changing tides of war and the specific requirements the situation demands.   From 2004 to 2023 every deployment that the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat team (the 1-102nd’s higher headquarters) has seen included modifications to its organization that ran the gamut from minor to radical.    

Things were no different in World War I.  On September 15th 1917, the Squadron was broken up and its elements reorganized and redesignated:  

• The Squadron (less Troops B and D) was reorganized and redesignated as the 104th Train Headquarters and Military Police, an element of the 29th Division.  The 104th Train Headquarters and Military Police (less Company B), then reorganized and redesignated 1 November 1918 as the 29th Military Police Company, an element of the 29th Division
• Troops B and D were consolidated to form Battery F, 110th Field Artillery, an element of the 29th Division

Following its service in World War I the Squadron demobilized May 30th, 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey and subsequently at Camp Dodge Iowa and was ultimately reorganized in 1919-1920 as the 1st Cavalry Squadron in the New Jersey National Guard and federally recognized 29 September 1920 in Newark and reorganized and redesignated August 17th, 1921 as the 102d Cavalry.

In June 1937 the 102nd was assigned to the 21st Cavalry Division until 1940 and inducted into Federal service 6 January 1941 at home stations.  In November 1943, 2d Squadron reorganized, and was redesignated as the 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized (1st Squadron – see  ANNEX 1 [remainder of 102d Cavalry–hereafter separate lineages]).  The 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized, inactivated 25 November 1945 in Germany, Reorganized and Federally recognized 20 November 1946 at West Orange as the 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron.  

It was then reorganized and redesignated 1 November 1949 as the 2d Battalion, 102d Armored Cavalry.  Consolidated 1 February 1968 with the 6th Battalion, 50th Armor (see ANNEX 2), and consolidated unit reorganized and redesignated as the 102d Armor, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions.

Consolidated 1 December 1971 with the 50th Armor (see ANNEXES 3, 4, and 5) and consolidated unit designated as the 102d Armor to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions and the 3d, 4th, and 5th Battalions, elements of the 50th Armored Division.  Reorganized 1 July 1975 to consist of the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 5th Battalions, elements of the 50th Armored Division, withdrawn 1 June 1989 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System.

Reorganized 1 September 1991 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 50th Armored Division, reorganized 1 September 1993 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 42d Infantry Division, reorganized 1 September 1994 to consist of the 2d Battalion, an element of the 42d Infantry Division.
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Ordered into active Federal service 12 – 27 April 2004 at home stations for service with Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) and released from active Federal service 11 – 26 April 2005 and reverted to state control. 

The squadron was redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 102d Armored Regiment and was ordered into active Federal service 16 June 2008 at home stations for service in Iraq in Bucca (A Troop), Ashraf (B Troop) and with Combined Special Operations Task Force (C Troop) out of Balad.   The squadron consolidated 1 September 2008 with the 117th Cavalry Regiment (see ANNEX 1) and consolidated unit designated as the 102d Cavalry Regiment, to consist of the 1st Squadron, an element of the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Released from active Federal service 20 July 2009 and reverted to state control. 

It is important to note that C/5-117th Cavalry and D/250th Brigade Support Battalion mobilized in late 2006 for almost 2 years, serving in Iraq that culminated in the 2007 surge.  

The 1-102nd Cavalry was, again, mobilized in 2019 for service in Jordan and the Horn of Africa.

In 2024, the unit will once again be mobilized for service in the Middle East with Operation Inherent Resolve.