The 158th Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia (also called a unit crest or a DUI) was approved on 4 November 1981. It uses yellow (gold) to indicate the unit is a Cavalry organization, with the black-and-white pattern in the chief (top third of the shield portion of the insignia) take from the Calvert Coat of Arms found on the state flag of Maryland, indicating it is part of the Maryland Army National Guard. Crossed swords and a spur rowel are images commonly associated with Cavalry; they are intermeshed here to signify strength, with the points of the rowel symbolizing the multiple capabilities of a Cavalry unit. “First To The Front, the Regimental motto, highlights the reputation of Cavalry for its mission of reconnaissance and its speed of movement.
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."
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The book Armor-Cavalry Regiments, edited by Major Jeffrey Lynn Pope and Lieutenant Colonel Leonid E. Kondratuik and part of the Army National Guard Lineage Series, begins the lineage of the 158th Cavalry Regiment in 1975. But the lineage of some of the units—specifically, the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT), 1st Squadron—used to form the 158th Cavalry extends back to 1877 and the creation of “The Governors Guard,” an independent Infantry Company raised in Annapolis, a fact made evident by the assignation of the title “Governors Guard” to the Regiment as its official Special Designation.
Originally a parent regiment in the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), the 158th Regiment was organized in April 1975 to comprise Troops A and B, both elements of the 58th Infantry Brigade (this was reduced to just Troop B in October of the same year). The Regiment was reorganized on 1 Jul 1986 to consist of the 1st Squadron, an element of the 29th Infantry Division, and three years later was withdrawn from CARS and reorganized under the U.S. Army Regimental System.
While the 158th Cavalry’s history includes many instances of fulfilling its State mission as a National Guard unit—providing disaster assistance after Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and restoring order in the wake of massive civil unrest in Baltimore in 2015 immediately come to mind—its finest moment came with its 2007 deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Stationed at Camp Cropper in Baghdad, the HHT, 1st Squadron erected and managed the Iraqi Training Academy to instruct Iraqis slated to served in various role at correctional facilities, from correction officers to wardens. Troops A and B supported detainee operations at two facilities and were responsible for more than 25,000 detainees. In April 2009, Troop B’s service as recognized when it was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for the work it carried out in Iraq between September 2007 and March 2008.
On 7 November 2015, the deactivation of the 158th Cavalry Regiment was commemorated in a ceremony held at the LTC E. Leslie Medford Armory in Annapolis, Maryland.